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From Okwe Obi and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has threatened to embark on industrial action over alleged violations of Nigerian labour laws by Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited.
PENGASSAN accused the company of sidelining Nigerian workers and illegally employing thousands of foreign nationals, particularly Indians in roles that should be filled by locals.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, said the union has been monitoring Sterling Oil’s activities and has resolved to take decisive action to ensure compliance with Nigerian laws. According to him, the company currently employs over 10,000 Indian workers in various roles, including jobs such as cooks, panel operators, and communication officers, positions that do not require expatriate expertise.
He accused government agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, of failing to enforce regulations that restrict expatriate employment in the oil and gas sector.
Citing the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, Osifo noted that companies operating in the sector are mandated to employ only Nigerians in junior and intermediate roles, while expatriates should not occupy more than 5 per cent of management positions.
“In Sterling, 100 per cent of the top management positions are occupied by Indians, violating the law which allows only 5 per cent for expatriates. Meanwhile, other international oil companies (IOCs) comply with this rule. If they can obey the law, why should Sterling be an exception?” he questioned.
Osifo added that:”As of today, we have over 10,000 Indians that are working in sterling. And the majority of these Indians, they are doing middle and low level jobs. These are jobs that Nigerians should do.
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“Today, we have Nigerians littering the streets without employment. These are the jobs that they should be doing. But instead, we have Indians doing these jobs. Every Tuesday, we have between two to five hundred Indians that are coming to Nigeria.”
The labour leader also alleged that the company has been frustrating efforts to unionize its workforce and has unlawfully dismissed some Nigerian employees who demanded better working conditions.
He further accused Sterling of bypassing regulatory approvals by obtaining expatriate quotas through unofficial channels, allowing them to continue employing foreign workers illegally.
The union demanded the immediate removal of all expatriates occupying Nigerian jobs and the reinstatement of sacked workers, warning that failure to comply would lead to nationwide industrial action.
“We are going to engage with the government. We are ready to take them there to see for themselves. And if we have done all of these and nothing is done, we are going to declare a national strike. And remember that in the upstream sector, 90 percent of the workers are our members and by the time we withdraw all our members, the entire upstream will be grounded.
“So, the government should choose between standing with Nigerians and enforcing the labour laws or standing with Sterling oil,” Osifo warned.
He further called on the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and other regulatory agencies to intervene urgently.
Osifo disclosed that the union is scheduled to meet with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) later today to discuss the issue.
