There may be shortage of fuel next week as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers has pledged its loyalty to the Nigeria Labour Congress and any step that the NLC decides to take.
The Federal Government last Friday obtained an order from the National Industrial Court restraining the organised labour from embarking on strike.
The NLC, the Trade Union Congress and the United Labour Congress had, however, insisted on embarking on the strike, claiming that they had not been served with court processes.
Attempts to speak with the presidents of the NLC and the TUC, Mr Ayuba Wabba and Mr Bobboi Kaigama, on Saturday proved abortive as they did not respond to calls made to their telephones.
However, the National President of NUPENG, Prince Akporeha, told our correspondent that since his union is an affiliate of the NLC, it would comply fully with any directive the NLC gave.
When asked if NUPENG would join the strike, he said, “Are we not an affiliate of the NLC? Is NUPENG on its own? Of course we are with the NLC.”
When reminded of the fact that a court had ordered unions not to go on strike, the NUPENG president said, “We are waiting for directives.”
Attempts to get the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria last Saturday also proved abortive as its President, Mr Francis Johnson, neither picked repeated calls to his telephone nor responded to a text message on Saturday.
The organised labour had fixed November 6, 2018 for the commencement of an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to approve the N30, 000 it is demanding as minimum wage.
Last week, the Nigeria Governors Forum said it could only pay N22, 500 as minimum wage, a position which was rejected by the unions.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured motorists that it has adequate petroleum products that will serve the nation, irrespective of the proposed strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress. NNPC The Corporation gave the assurance in a statement by its spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu in Abuja yesterday.
“The corporation had 39 days petroleum products sufficiency and about 25 days products availability on land. Dangote Refinery project to boost activities in downstream, says LCCI “Motorists and other consumers of petroleum products are assured of adequate stock to meet their energy needs,’’ he said. Ughamadu further dispelled insinuations of any impending petroleum products scarcity in the country.
He said that providing information on the petroleum products stock level became imperative to dispel suggestions that the threat of strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) would result in a slip into a round of products shortages across the country.
Ughamadu advised motorists not to engage in panic buying as the corporation would do all it could to ensure the strike did not impact negatively on fuel distribution nationwide.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and volunteer information to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) or any law enforcement agency around them, on any station that attempts to take advantage of any prevailing situation in the country at the expense of the consumers.