Oil and Gas: Nigerian Government moves to stop petroleum workers strike

Wednesday July, 21, 2010

Lagos: In a bid to prevent a looming strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) Nigerian Government official met with labour leaders Tuesday. They were however unable to come to a resolution as key NUPENG officials were not at the meeting.

Two Government Ministers, Chukwuemeka Wogu, Minister of Labour and Chris Ogienwonyi, the Minister of State for Works, had a meeting with the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Segun Oshinowo; officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; and the Senior Assistant General Secretary of NUPENG, Christopher Akpede.

Mr. Akpede said that he was not empowered to negotiate for NUPENG, explaining that those who are were in the United Kingdom for a training programme.

NUPENG had given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to address the poor state of the nation's road network, threatening to stop supplies of petroleum products to the federal capital, Abuja.

The NUPENG leaders are expected back by the 2nd of August. The meeting was rescheduled for August 3, 2010.

According to Mr Wogu, the meeting was called to inform the union of progress on the nation's roads.

"It is because of the seriousness that government attaches to issues like this that we are here today to appraise you of the position of infrastructure and the improvement government has done on such infrastructure, especially roads, to enable you carry on with your business," he said.

The Ministry of Work’s efforts to repair damaged roads across the country was emphasized by MR Ogienwonyi, who said many of these roads are in good conditions, citing the Lagos-Benin Expressway as an example.