The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government’s push to raise crude oil production to 3 million barrels per day, mmbopd, by 2030, but drew a firm line on labour rights, insisting that workers’ freedom to unionise remains non-negotiable.
The union’s new President, Comrade Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro, made the commitment in Abuja on Wednesday during his maiden visit to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, where he pledged a “reasonable” and collaborative approach to industry engagement, while flagging contract staffing reforms as a priority for his administration.
“The President of Nigeria has an ambition, which he runs through the CCE, which is to make sure that by 2030 we are able to produce 3 million barrels per day. All of us have to work to make that happen. It will be our happiness to make sure that target is actually attained,” Olabiyi-Agoro said.
A statement by the Head of Media and Corporate Communications at NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, quoted the union as adding that “We can assure you that we are here to collaborate. We will be very reasonable.”
While affirming the union’s openness to negotiation, the PENGASSAN President was emphatic that certain issues remain off the table.
He said the right of workers to freely associate and join unions would not be compromised under his leadership, adding that the treatment of contract staff across the industry would be a key focus of his tenure.
Responding, the Commission Chief Executive of NUPRC, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, had been working assiduously to boost production, citing a recent executive order targeting deep offshore investments as evidence of that commitment.
She disclosed that national crude production had climbed from a low of 1.1mmbopd a few years ago to an estimated 1.755mmbopd in 2026, but cautioned that industrial harmony would be critical to sustaining the momentum toward higher output.
Eyesan appealed for PENGASSAN’s continued cooperation as the union settles into its new leadership.
“As you settle into your new role, be assured that the commission will give you 150 per cent cooperation. In addition to the support we will give you, we want to ask that we work very closely to actualise government objectives,” she said.
“We want to grow production from our current level to 3 million barrels in 2030. For gas, we are still doing under 8bcf and we want to grow that to 12bcf by 2030. So, let’s make that happen,” she added.
The engagement marks an early test of how the new PENGASSAN leadership will balance cooperation with the regulator against its mandate to protect workers’ rights, as the industry ramps up efforts to meet the 2030 production target.
