By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
As the industrial crisis between staff of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, and the management deepens, the NUPRC staff rebuffed the Petroleum Ministry’s plea to have a dialogue with the workers.
NUPRC workers have alleged a monumental fraud and poor working environment at the commission and resolved to carry on with their struggle through peaceful protest until their demands are met by the Commission.
The Federal Government through its Ministry of Petroleum Resources met with them at one of their protest grounds, in front of the Commission’s office, in Jabi, Abuja and made a plea with the protesting workers to come to a negotiation table to address their grievances, but it fell on deaf ears.
Recall that after the expiration a 24-hour ultimatum, the angry staff of the Commission, formerly Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) had on Tuesday, started picketing and barricading, to press home their demands and concerns, including immediate investigation and suspension of the embattled NUPRC Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, who addressed the protesting staff at the Jabi office of the commission where they converge daily, told them that their grievances have been heard, and pleaded with them to suspend the protest and come for negotiations.
Aduda who appreciated the entire NUPRC staff for their patience, noted that there is nothing wrong in showing their grievances with the system, said the Ministry is happy to meet with the staff union at every single level, to ensure that their struggle is brought to a reasonable and amicable conclusion.
He said, “All gathered here are very responsible people, and you are doing this because you want the nation to move forward. You are doing this because you want the NUPRC as a commission to not only perform its duty as a regulator, but to do so with the best international standard better.”
“At this point, trust me, nobody is here to deceive anyone, as what has happened is in the open. And what we want to do now is to appeal to the union that yes you may have tried at the level of the parastatal, and it hasn’t worked, let us come up to the level of the ministry.”
“Remember, it is still out of us that the solution must come, so we don’t need to continue with the strike while work suffers, rather let us suspend it for now, and how the entire management and the union up to the national level sit with us in a meeting to be led and chaired by myself to see that we come to a conclusion on all your demands including the apologies that you are asking for. So let us raise teams, and begin negotiations immediately.”
Deputy President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (PENGASSAN) worldwide, Comrade Kabiru Dan Azumi, who conveyed a solidarity message from the PENGASSAN National President, said that everyone in the industry is involved in the struggle.
He said the leadership of the union has done its best, as it had met the management of the commission both in private and official levels, where they discussed the issue as a family matter, and did not expect it to reach the level that it is now.
NUPRC management) have failed us, so let us breath, as we can’t breathe right now”, he stressed.
Furthermore, the Branch Chairman of the NUPRC workers’ union, Comrade Okechukwu Anya, appreciated the Ministry for attempting to wade into the matter.
He stressed that their barest minimum of consideration for engagement in a dialogue as proposed is an unreserved apology from the embattled CEO of the Commission, who allegedly referred to them as oil thieves in his statement released to the media.
“Thank you sir for your plea, but we will talk within ourselves, and get back to you sir,” he said.
