•Govt: They’re not sincere •Kaduna branch joins warning action
Long fuel queues have resurfaced in most petrol stations in Abuja, the nation’s capital, following a three-day warning strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The strike began yesterday. Read more
NUPENG said it started the strike to press home its demand for what it called unfair labour practices by some oil companies toward its workers.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited some major petrol stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday, said there was chaos as motorists jostled to get petrol.
At the popular NNPC Mega Station in the Central Area, the queue resulted in a partial blockage of the adjoining road and a horrendous traffic hold-up.
NAN spoke with some motorists at the petrol station. They expressed dismay at the development and urged relevant government agencies to address the situation.
Mr Pius Adejoh, a civil servant, described the situation as a setback to the Transformation Agenda in the oil and gas sector.
He said: “I think it’s really very sad that we are back to those days when we had to queue at filling stations to get fuel.
“The Federal Government needs to step in and meet with the oil unions to find a lasting solution to this perennial problem.”
Mr Kayode Olagoke, a taxi driver, condemned the sudden queues at the petrol stations.
He warned that it would lead to an increase in transportation fares, if not urgently addressed.
The situation was also not different at the Conoil Filling Station in the Central Area, opposite the NNPC Towers. Long queues of vehicles were seen around the station.
NUPENG President Achese Igwe told NAN that the union called the strike “due to unfair treatment of our workers by some oil companies including Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron Nigeria Limited and Agip Oil Company”.
He accused the oil companies of unfair treatment of Nigerian workers through casual labour and outsourcing of workers, among other matters.
Igwe said the leadership of the union directed its members to stop loading petroleum products to press home its demand.
He warned that the union would go on an indefinite action after the three-day warning strike, if government and the relevant authorities failed to address its grievances.
Several petrol stations in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, were closed yesterday.
The few that sold in the morning were later forced to close by a Task Force from NUPENG.
Black market operators took advantage of the situation, selling petrol for between N250 and N300 per litre.
Fares also doubled as scores of commuters were stranded due to the scarcity of taxis and buses.
The Oyo State branch of the union has threatened to begin an indefinite strike over what it called the harassment and infringement of the rights of its members by sanitation officers of the Oyo State Government.
The Deputy National Chairman of the Petrol Tankers’ Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Apata, Ibadan, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, addressed reporters in his office on the ongoing strike.
He also alleged that members of the Oyo State Traffic Road management Authority (OYSTRMA) have been arresting NUPENG members for committing “minor traffic offences”, which should have been handled by the police.
According to him, the alleged offenders were not given a fair trial.
Oladiti said: “After their arrest, they were charged exorbitant fees, which ranged from N250,000 and above as penalty; otherwise, they would be sent to jail.”
Oladiti assured that the union would soon resolve the matter with the Federal Government.
He said: “We are also concerned about the bad roads and the incessant oil bunkering, which the Federal Government has failed to tackle.”
But Commissioner for Environment and Habitat, Mr. Lowo Obisesan, alleged that NUPENG was being economical with the truth.
He said it is a criminal offence in Oyo State to unlawfully park or offload goods between 6am and 6pm, because such actions obstruct traffic.
Also, the Kaduna branch of NUPENG has joined the three-day warning strike by its national body.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that petrol stations have closed down while tanker drivers have parked their vehicles “awaiting further directives” from union officials.
NUPENG’s Deputy Secretary General, Adamu Song, told NAN in a telephone interview that the Kaduna branch had set up a task force to monitor filling stations and sanction defaulters.
Transport fares have, however, remained stable in the city but officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were meeting to appraise the situation and consider the possibility of an increase.
Culled from The Nation newspaper
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