Fuel crisis looms as angry workers shut down NNPC nationwide over ‘unbundling’
Oil workers have shut down the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) nationwide following Tuesday’s unbundling of the corporation.
Members of staff and management of the corporation arrived their various offices on Wednesday morning to discover that they could not gain entrance following the total strike.
The immediate impact of the strike will be nationwide fuel scarcity as products will not be lifted by NUPENG.
It is not expected to affect the crude oil export yet except the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) joins in solidarity.
Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources who doubles as the NNPC group managing director, had announced the creation of seven independent units on Tuesday, namely downstream, gas and power, refineries, ventures, corporate planning and services, and finance and accounts.
NNPC’s stranded workers in Abuja PHOTO: Fred Nwabufo
The group executive committee (GEC) of the the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) convened an emergency meeting at 10pm on Tuesday to discuss the development.
At the end of the meeting, GEC sent this message to all members: “The GEC of NUPENG & PENGASSAN at its meeting of 8th March 2016, which started at 10:00pm has extensively discussed the pronouncement of the GMD on NNPC UNBUNDLING. We observed that the GMD/HMSP totally disregarded due process and failed to engage STAKEHOLDERS. Hence, from midnight today, ALL NNPC LOCATIONS will be SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY until further notice. Further directives will be communicated accordingly.”
When TheCable visited the NNPC headquarters on Wednesday, hundreds of the corporation’s staff littered the road causing gridlock on Herbert Macaulay way.
Unionists in red were at the scene barricading the entrance to the NNPC building.
Also, security agents were on hand to forestall break down of order.
No entrance: The NNPC Ikoyi office PHOTO: Mansur Ibrahim
A staff member of the NNPC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this newspaper that he was at the corporation’s building as of 7:30am on Wednesday but met “it barricaded by members of PENGASSAN.”
TheCable tried to speak with one of the leaders of the union, but he said: “We are not here for journalists. This is not for the press.”
Kachikwu had said the distribution of subsidiary companies of the corporation would further be restructured into direct management of the divisions.
Last week, Kachikwu announced that the government was planning to unbundle the corporation into 30 profitable companies.
These ppl have been spoon fed for too long. Time for them to earn their keep!
This is totally wrong. I won’t say more
Totally wrong. How can you execute such a plan without involving the stakeholders,SMEs’ and other people who matter.What change management or business transformation steps were taken within 7/8 months that the GMD has been in power to come up with this ?. I’d say this is a good move gone in a totally wrong way !
Corruption fighting back against government
PENGASSAN is Nigeria’s worst enemy bent on keeping the oil industry in its unproductive and corrupt state. Call out out the dogs on the saboteurs!
NNPC in Strike? sorry for nigerians if this would affect the export and import of both crude and refined oil
The govt should negotiate with their workers but should not budge. Dismissal should be considered if they will insist
NNPC and pengassan problems, i though the GMB would have
Your comment..naija hw far no body should complain cos u rated gej govt as worst in history .u hv 2 live change u clamoured 4.gbam.
Let us set aside politics while we tackle some of these issues. How does unbundling hurt NUPENG / PENGASSAN? Are the members to lose their jobs by Kachukwus’s action? Are they shareholders, what would be their loses as against the probable gains by the entire nation? Please, I want to be enlightened.
The minister of petroleum seems to be confused and doesn’t know what do. What a shame!
And he is lawyer acting like a military man.There are laws that established these companies, you don’t get up overnight and make such pronouncements. It is unfortunate,now there will be hardship experience by this strike.This government should be more careful in the way do things.Or else there will be crisis.
Enjoy yo change while it lasts. I regret ever voting Baba
go climb asorock and fall down
Your comment..I doubt much if the decision will hut the entire workers of NNPC and NUPENG,, and unbundling the so called NNPC will strongly reduces corruption and encourage efficient fuel distribution in our dear nation, this will always remain our need, and the change We voted forrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!
The people that want to reduce corruption should be proactive thinkers, anticipating various reactions. Knowing that they need the people support if not. The corrupt will lead the anti corruption campaign #pr2016
Your comment..Its a pity that this APC and the gmb administration is full of drama’s, and Nigerians are not tired of watching dramas, we are waiting to see the part two of the drama.
What have they got to gain in opposing a government decision, other than cause more hardship to the citizenry?
NNPC WORKERS AND ALL THE LABOUR UNION IN NNPC SHOULD HIDE THEIR HEADS IN SHAME. UNBUNDLING NNPC IS A GOVERNMENT DECISION WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WORKERS. THE GOVERNMENT DECIDE WHAT HAPPENED TO ITS CORPORATION AND NOT THE WORKERS. UNBUNDLING NNPC WILL BRING ABOUT EFFICIENCY, TRANSPARENCY AND PROPER ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE CORPORATION. BABA SHOULD NOT SECOND TO THEIR SELFISH AND BASELESS PRESSURE BUT RATHER APPROACH THE SUPERME AND SEEK FOR INJUNCTION TO FIRE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY DONT MEANT WELL FOR THIS COUNTRY. BABA CARRY GO WITH THE UNBUNDLING OF NNPC
NNPC is long overdue for a radical change of this nature,
when the elephants are fighting, the grass suffers…..please God make me an elephant some day soon
Nnpc is corrupt. Simply put
Definitely something wrong was happening some where along the line.NNPC IS ONE OF THE MOST CURRUPT SECTOR IN NIGERIA, THAT IS WHY THE MASSASES ARE SUFFERRING. THIS IS THE CHANGE WE VOTED FOR.