Follow Us on Google
Says negotiations with Dangote refinery still ongoing
_________________________
From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has challenged the Federal Government to stop repeating old lines on insecurity and immediately expose and prosecute the sponsors of terrorism tormenting the country.
PENGASSAN President Festus Osifo stated this while briefing journalists after the union’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Thursday.
Osifo said Nigerians have had enough of condolences, condemnations, and one-minute silences, insisting that the government must match words with action as kidnappings and violent attacks worsen across several states.
He expressed anger that officials continue to claim they know those bankrolling terrorists but have refused to name or arrest them, adding that the situation has deteriorated so badly that schools in parts of the North now shut their gates, leaving thousands of children stranded at home.
The union president called on the Federal Government, states, and local councils to divert funds from non-critical sectors and invest in sophisticated equipment that would enable security agencies to take the battle to criminal gangs.
According to him, Nigeria cannot keep lamenting while citizens are being slaughtered and abducted. He noted that the country cannot be talking about investment and infrastructural development without first tackling insecurity.
The labour leader further renewed PENGASSAN’s call for the creation of state police, arguing that no country wins the war against insecurity with a centralised structure. He dismissed political fears around state police, saying that the politicians who represent less than 0.1 percent of the country’s population cannot hold 99.9 percent of Nigerians hostage with outdated excuses.
Other News
“We are all seeing how insecurity has been plaguing our land, how this particular challenge has exacerbated in the last few weeks. Yes, we just received information that a new Minister of Defence will be sworn in, maybe in the next few hours or thereabouts. But beyond changing personnel, beyond bringing in one personnel to replace another, which we value so much because we strongly believe in human capital, the government, both at the federal, state, and local levels, should do everything possible to curb this madness.
“We have had several instances where they tell us that they know the sponsors of these terrorists. The question is: where are the sponsors? Why haven’t you named these sponsors? Why haven’t you exposed these sponsors? Why haven’t you gone after them? Take them to the law courts and get them convicted to serve as deterrents to others.
We are tired of always having one-minute silence for our brothers and our sisters. We are tired of always coming up to keep condemning and condemning and condemning. Beyond condemnation, beyond rhetorics, let the government, even if it takes us looking at those sectors that are not critical, go to the National Assembly and divert the funds meant for the sectors that are not critical, and use it to buy sophisticated equipment to go after these terrorists.
Because it is a country that is safe, it is a country that is able to protect its citizens,” he stated.
Osifo also spoke on the economic pain confronting households, saying the reported drop in inflation has not translated into reality in the markets.
He noted that food prices remain unbearable, with ₦100,000 now buying almost nothing, while farmers cannot return to their farmlands because of insecurity.
He said the government must harmonise monetary and fiscal policies so that improvements at the macro level reflect directly on the dining tables of ordinary Nigerians. He insisted that Nigerians want results, not more economic jargon.
Furthermore, Osifo disclosed that PENGASSAN had secured several collective bargaining agreements and successfully navigated recent industry divestments without mass job losses. But he cautioned companies still refusing to adjust wages despite massive naira devaluation, warning that the union will push without holding back to protect workers.
On unresolved disputes at Dangote Refinery and Chemicals Ltd, he said negotiations were still ongoing and that the union preferred dialogue but would not hesitate to take further action if necessary.
