Joseph Bakare
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has asked the Government to look into how the transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) could lead to better opportunities for commuters.
The NUPENG, leadership, led by Salimon Oladiti, its president, paid a courtesy visit to the President where he informed the president that larger population of the country is not benefiting from the transition.
President Bola Tinubu, also reportedly admitted that the project is currently going into the pockets of truck owners, noting that the gains are not spreading as quickly as he would like.
The president urged petroleum transport operators to ensure that the benefits of the federal government’s CNG initiative were passed on to commuters.
“We will encourage you, but ask your drivers to let it trickle to the commuters too,” he said.
“Whatever benefit that is coming from CNG is going into the pocket of truck owners, it’s not spreading as fast as I would like it, but it should spread.”
The president recalled his engagement with the union before assuming office, particularly a meeting at Akodo, Lagos, where he made his position on petrol subsidy clear despite threats of industrial action.
Tinubu also reminded them of how he told the union that “you may strike all you want, but fuel subsidy will be gone”.
He said the decision to remove the subsidy was necessary to correct economic distortions and redirect government resources towards projects capable of delivering long-term value to Nigerians.
Tinubu said the federal government would soon publish details of how funds saved from petrol subsidy removal had been utilised.
The president rejected claims that the reforms were targeted at ordinary Nigerians, saying the benefits of a restructured economy would eventually reach workers, families, and businesses across the country.
The politician said the reforms are a process of “financial reengineering and reset”, saying the government is laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth.
On the country’s refineries, Tinubu said the government remains committed to restoring them to productive capacity.
He stressed that the objective is not merely to restart the facilities but to make them commercially viable.
“The refineries that you mentioned is (sic) going to come back to work,” he said.
“Ordinary flame and smoke of a refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it is profitable and yields the value for which it is built.”
Tinubu said he had accepted responsibility for both the assets and liabilities inherited from previous administrations and would not dwell on the past.
“It’s my responsibility now as the President to fix it, make it work for the largest common value of our population. I take responsibility for that, and I’m going to do it,” he said.
Also speaking, Oladiti appealed to Tinubu to intervene in the persistent casualisation of workers in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, particularly in the upstream sector.
“Your Excellency, our relationship with the international oil companies and the indigenous players in the upstream sector has been very cordial,” he said.
“However, we want to seize this opportunity to bring to your attention an unhealthy trend we have been trying to correct with little to no success.
“It is the casualisation of workers, particularly in the upstream sector.”
Oladiti said NUPENG and its sister union, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), had tolerated the practice partly because of the potentially damaging consequences of industrial action in the strategic oil and gas sector.
The NUPENG president appealed to the president to use his office to compel affected companies to end the practice.
“We have engaged the management of some of the affected companies without results. Mr. President, we urge you to use your good offices to stop casualisation of workers in our sector,” he said.
Oladiti commended the administration’s efforts to revive the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries through partnerships with Chinese firms.
However, he urged the president to extend the intervention to the country’s ageing petroleum depots operated by the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC).
Oladiti recommended that the depots be handed over to private investors under an equity arrangement as part of efforts to restore their functionality.
Specifically speaking on the refinery, Tinubu, said the refineries will not be allowed to waste away, given the huge investments made over many years, assuring that in-depth research, restructuring, and leadership will reposition them to deliver value.
He explained that the challenges confronting the refineries would be addressed through a systematic, evidence-based approach rather than short-term interventions.
According to him, the Federal Government will encourage detailed research and technical assessments to identify the structural, operational, financial and managerial challenges affecting the facilities and develop sustainable solutions.
“The refineries that you mentioned are going to come back to work; we’re just building a very firm, resetting, and structural reworking of the economy of it. Ordinary flame and smoke of a refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it’s profitable and yields the value for which it is built.
“I’m not a man who goes looking back on everything because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. No matter what has happened in the years past, it’s now my responsibility as president to fix it and make it work for the greatest common good of our population. I take responsibility for that, and we will do it.
“I will just appeal to all of you to let us work diligently and passionately on this democracy. Democracy is about celebration of freedom and opportunity that must be cherished by all of us, just like a painful childbirth, but the joy is everlasting and long. And I promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria,” the President said.
Responding to the remark on the implementation of local government autonomy, President Tinubu promised that the constitutional issues involved in its implementation are being reviewed for possible fine-tuning. He appealed for understanding among stakeholders.
The President also took the opportunity to acknowledge a former President of the Union, the late Frank Kokori, for his role in deepening democracy in Nigeria.
“You brought good memories of my relationship with Frank Kokori; may his soul rest in peace. We struggled for this democratic dispensation together, and it was very tough for us to have this democracy, and you have been a very good partner of the government in progress,” he said.
The NUPENG leaders later decorated the President as the Grand Patron of the Union