The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources has intervened in the management crisis rocking the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, with an appeal to the agrreieved staff union to create room for dialogue.
Aggrieved staff of the NUPRC have for days, been protesting over alleged poor staff welfare, non-remittance of pension deductions, poor working conditions and environment, awarding of fraudulent contracts, among a list of other accusations levelled against the management of the commission.
The unionised workers who have been barricading the premises of the NUPRC since Tuesday to press home their demands, including the immediate investigation and suspension of the NUPRC Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, are insisting on continuing with their peaceful protest until their demands are met.
The workers’ stance was futher reinforced yestetday, when the Federal Government through its Ministry of Petroleum Resources met with them at one of their protest grounds, right in front of the Commission’s office, in Jabi, Abuja.
Addressing the protesters, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambr. Gabriel Aduda, who visited the Jabi office of the commission where the protesting staff converge daily, noted that their grievances have been heard, and pleaded with them to suspend the protest and come for negotiations.
Aduda while appreciating the entire NUPRC staff for their patience, as there is nothing wrong in showing their grievances with the system, said the ministry is happy to meet with the staff union at every 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.
“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 work, 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, Comrade Kabiru Dan-Azumi, who conveyed a solidarity message from the PENGASSAN National President, said they are all in the struggle in the industry.
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.
Ealier, the branch chairman of the NUPRC workers’ union, Comrade Okechukwu Anya, thanked the Ministry for attempting to wade into the matter.
He however, noted that their barest minimum of consideration for engagement in a dialogue as proposed by the Permanent Secretary, is an unreserved apologies 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 assured.
