By Joan Nwagwu
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services following the sack of over 800 Nigerian workers at the Dangote Refinery.
Mr Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN’s General Secretary, announced this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
He said the directive was issued after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) held on Saturday in Abuja.
Okugbawa described the refinery’s action as a violation of Nigeria’s labour laws, the Constitution, and international conventions.
According to him, “the refinery has replaced Nigerians with over 2,000 foreign workers, subjecting our people to the worst type of working conditions in the oil and gas industry.
He added that no man or company, no matter how highly placed, is above the law and cannot be called to order by our national institutions.
The union leader explained that NEC ordered all PENGASSAN members working across field locations to withdraw their services effective 06:00hrs on Sunday, Sept. 28, while those in offices, companies, institutions and agencies are to withdraw services from 00:01hrs on Monday, Sept. 29.
He further said that all processes involving gas and crude supply to Dangote Refinery had been suspended immediately.
Okugbawa also disclosed that the union had declared a 24-hour nationwide prayer.
“The prayer point should include a call to God Almighty to give courage to those in authority to rein in Dangote and his co-travelers on the need to obey the laws of our country,” he said.
He said that the union would not allow the sack of its members to go unchallenged.
“An injury to one is an injury to all. No man is bigger than our country,” Okugbawa said.
(NAN)
