Yemisi Izuora
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has elected national officers to run its affairs in the next three years (2020-2023) with Comrade Festus Osifo of Total Nigeria E&P Branch emerging as the 16th President of the Association.
According to Comrade Anietie Udoh, National Public Relations Officer, PENGASSAN,
Comrade Osifo defeated his sole challenger Comrade Roland Fredericks of Shell Petroleum Branch by 200 to 183 votes.
Comrade Osifo in his acceptance speech, promised to abide by the Association’s Constitution in all his dealings and to return power to the Branches, while fighting for the protection of members’ job and improved welfare. He thanked the Delegates for electing men and women of character who he promised will not disappoint the confidence reposed on them.
He also admonished labour leaders on the need for unity amongst members in all strata of the labour movement in the country, promising to work with like minds anywhere they are and could be located to champion the course of the represented, and the masses in general.
Also elected to serve with him at the national level of the Association are other officers elected into the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Association. These officers include Comrades Duru Mathew of NNPC as Deputy President, Kelechi Ugwulo of NALCO as the National Industrial Relations Officer, Victor Ononokpono of PPPRA as National Treasurer and Kabiru Dan’Azumi of NNPC as Financial Secretary. Others are Anietie Udoh of MPN as National Public Relations Officer, Charles Ogbowu of NAOC as National Auditor 1, Bosun Olaniyi of Baker Hughes as the National Auditor 2, Ngozi Chiwendu of Tecon Oil Services as Chairperson Women in PENGASSAN. All the elected officers were sworn in by the General Secretary Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa.
A total of 384 Delegates drawn from the Association Branches nationwide participated in the election as part of 6th Triennial National Delegates Conference (NDC) held at the NAF Conference Center Abuja. The NDC was earlier scheduled to hold in June 2020 but was deferred to August with the approval of Registrar of Trade Unions due the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Man Comrade Festus Osifo
Comrade Festus Osifo is a holder of a First-Class degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from University of Portsmouth UK. Prior to that, he attended Iyobosa Primary School and his secondary school education was at Immaculate Conception College (ICC) both in Benin City, Edo State.
His brilliancy manifested as he emerged as the overall best graduating student (valedictorian) 2003/2004 session from the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun where he obtained HND in Mechanical Engineering with distinction. He is also a distinguished alumnus of the prestigious Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh, United Kingdom where he obtained a Masters’ of Science degree in (M.Sc.) Petroleum Engineering.
The new PENGASSAN President is currently an Executive MBA student at Lagos Business School of Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, where he is further developing himself in leadership and strategic management.
Comrade Osifo has attended numerous courses, seminars and conferences on Leadership, Industrial Relations, and Strategic Management in Nigeria and abroad among which are Advance Negotiation Strategies: Mastering the Art and Science of Negotiation: Harvard University, USA; Modern Trend in Conflict Resolution and Management; Washington DC, USA; Industrial Relations and Conflict Resolution; and Emerging Leader’s Forum; Washington DC, USA.
Comrade Osifo, is a member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Nigeria and a Non-Executive Director at Heiwa Africa, an NGO that works in settling the internally displaced persons in Middle Belt and North Eastern part of Nigeria.
As a great lover of education, Festus founded “Save Our Children Education Initiative” (SOCEI), a nongovernmental organization that provides free and qualitative learning to primary and secondary students with special focus on school dropouts.
Festus currently represents Total E&P; Branch of PENGASSAN as a director on the board of Total E&P; Closed Pension Fund Administrator (CPFA).
His hobbies include football, Lawn Tennis, and deep engineering intellectual engagements.