The federal government, through the ministry of petroleum resources has waded into the ongoing industrial disharmony rocking the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) over alleged fraud and poor working environment at the commission.
The permanent secretary of the ministry, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, who was at the Jabi office of the commission on Thursday, pleaded with the protesting staff to end their protest to enable them engage in peaceful negotiation.
Aduda while appreciating the entire NUPRC staff for their patience, as there is nothing wrong in showing their grievances with the system, said the ministry is happy to meet with the staff union at every single level, to ensure that their struggle is brought to a reasonable and amicable conclusion.
He said: “All gathered here are very responsible people, and you are doing this because you want the nation to move forward. Your are doing this because you want the NUPRC as a commission to not only perform its duty as a regulator, but to do so with the best international standard better.
At this point trust me, nobody is here to deceive anyone, as what has happened is in the open. And what we want to do now is to appeal to the union that yes you may have tried at the level of the parastatal, and it hasn’t work, let us come up to the level of the ministry.
Remember, it is still out of us that the solution must come, so we don’t need to continue with the strike while work suffers, rather let us suspend it for now, and how the entire management and the union up to the national level sit with us in a meeting to be led and chaired by myself to see that we come to a conclusion on all your demands including the apologies that you are asking for. So let us raise teams, and begin negotiations immediately.”
Speaking earlier, deputy president of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (PENGASSAN) worldwide, Comrade Kabiru Dan Azumi, who conveyed a solidarity message from the PENGASSAN national president said they are all in the struggle in the industry.
He said the leadership of the union has done its best, as it had met the management of the commission both in private and official levels, where they discussed the issue as a family matter, and did not expect it to reach the level that it is now.
“You (NUPRC management) have failed us, so let us breath, as we can’t breath right now”, he stressed.
Ealier, the branch chairman of the NUPRC workers’ union, Comrade Okechukwu Anya, had thanked the ministry for attempting to wade into the matter.
He however, noted that their barest minimum of consideration for engagement in a dialogue as proposed is an unreserved apologies from the embattled CEO of the commission, who allegedly referred to them as oil thieves in his statement released to the media.
“Thank you sir for your plea, but we will talk within ourselves, and get back to you sir”, he assured.
Recall that following the expiration a 24-hour ultimatum, the angry staff of the Commission formerly Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) had on Tuesday, started picketing and barricading, to press home their demands and concerns including immediate investigation and suspension of the embattled NUPRC Chief Executive, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.