Oil workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have expressed reservations about the plan to unbundle the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) into 30 companies without following due process.
The union stated in a statement on Sunday that the move was an attempt to provoke workers in the oil and gas sector and cause industrial unrest in the country.
NUPENG stated that the restructuring in the oil and gas industry, especially at the NNPC, to achieve optimal performance could not be achieved without due consultation with the unions and other stakeholders in the sector.
The union stated that the unilateral action of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, was not in consonance with the laws establishing the NNPC.
The statement signed by the acting General Secretary, NUPENG, Joseph Ogbebor, stressed that the unbundling and rebranding of the NNPC as announced by the minister was another public policy change, which was not consistent with the laws establishing the corporation.
He warned that the plan would be resisted by oil and gas workers in the country.
The statement read in part, “The union adds that the legality, appropriateness and timelessness of this whole exercise is condemnable. It states that it will not tolerate a situation whereby the unbundled companies will now hide under the cover to start disengaging its workers.
“The union recalled that job creation and job security have been the change mantra of the current administration.
“The union reiterates that the move is to kill the NNPC by all means, but that they should know that the corporation is a creation of law and that it will take the repealing of the original Act to effect the changes that they are planning to carry out.”
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