Against the backdrop of the claim by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that Federal Government has made some subsidy payments, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has disclosed its intention to embark on a nationwide strike tomorrow if all outstanding subsidy payments were not fully paid.
Speaking during a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the NUPENG President, Comrade Igwe Achese, said even if subsidy payment had been made, it was only to portfolio carriers and not investors in the oil sector.
Achese said the failure of Okonjo-Iweala to meet the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other marketers’ payment obligation was a ploy to create hardship for Nigerians, adding that the plan was for government to put up the refineries for privatization to the cronies of those in the corridor of power at ridiculous rates.
According to him, that was why NUPENG was asking the minister to explain the rationale behind the selective payments of the subsidy claims.
On the ongoing strike in Abuja, he said: “We have cried out on several occasions on the untold hardship and the unfair labour practices meted out to our workers in the two giant multi-nationals – Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Chevron Nigeria Limited.
“The modern day slavery practiced by these two oil multi-nationals had turned our members into penury. They have continued to employ casuals that they hire and fire at will, without any conditions of service, including converting labour contracts to service contracts and casuals.
“We are open to dialogue but if by Wednesday the issue of subsidy is not resolved, we will embark on a nationwide strike.
“We will not fold our hands and watch Nigerians lose their jobs.”
On the allegation that the oil marketers were blackmailing government, Achese said: “You will recall that our last strike action was suspended based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed with all the stakeholders and the Finance Minister that payments would commence on the subsidy owed the marketers. Prior to this, we had had cause to sign MoU of some of our actions on turn-around maintenance of refineries, bad roads, etc, which were never implemented. Let me categorically state that NUPENG cannot and will never be used by the Federal Government, institutions, companies because we are stakeholders in the industry. The fight and struggle for the enthronement of democracy in the country during the June 12, 1993 cannot be in vain.
“The struggle for the emancipation of Nigerians from the hands of the military cannot be rubbished or swept under the carpet by ministers like the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and her cohorts in the same boat, who have failed to take the country out of the economic woods.”
Achese said the minister should bury her head in shame, resign and go back to her Breton-woods institution so that genuine patriots could come on board to move the nation forward.
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