Oil Workers Held Nation To Ransom Over Minor Issue — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima connected Monday faulted the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for holding the state to ransom implicit what helium described arsenic “a insignificant labour dispute.”

Speaking astatine the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) successful Abuja, Shettima said the lipid workers’ national didn’t person to embark connected a nationwide onslaught that paralysed lipid operations crossed the state implicit a substance that could person been resolved done dialogue.

PENGASSAN declared an indefinite onslaught connected September 28 to protestation the dismissal of Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery. The onslaught disrupted crude lipid accumulation and proviso activities and was suspended connected October 1 aft the Dangote Group agreed to redeploy the affected workers.
Shettima, however, criticised the union’s action, saying it sent the incorrect awesome to investors and undermined nationalist economical stability.
“It’s not astir holding the full federation to ransom due to the fact that of a insignificant labour dispute. Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN and Nigeria is greater than everyone,” the vice president said.
He reminded labour leaders that the Dangote Group is not conscionable a backstage institution but a nationalist plus whose occurrence reflects Nigeria’s concern potential.

“Aliko Dangote is not an individual; helium is an institution. He is simply a starring airy successful Nigeria’s economical parliament,” Shettima said. “And however we dainty this man volition find however outsiders volition justice us. If helium had invested $10 cardinal successful Microsoft, Amazon, oregon Google, helium mightiness beryllium worthy $70 to $80 cardinal today. But helium chose to put successful his country. We beryllium it to aboriginal generations to protect, promote, preserve, and task the interests of this large Nigeria.”

The vice president urged labour unions and the organised backstage assemblage to workout caution and patriotism successful resolving disputes, noting that changeless concern disruptions discourage concern and dilatory nationalist progress.

“I privation to telephone for caution, retrospection and a deeper consciousness of patriotism from some the labour and the organised backstage assemblage successful defining and improving the narration betwixt labour and manufacture to support our steadily improving economical fortunes,” helium said.

Shettima stressed that his remarks were not motivated by partisanship but by a work to support nationalist interests. He besides tasked the Nigerian Economic Summit Group with prioritising recommendations connected sustaining concern harmony and capitalist confidence.

“The authorities volition expect precedence recommendations from the NESG successful addressing this issue, adjacent arsenic it continues to instrumentality steps to support large manufacture and guarantee concern bid for the nation’s good,” helium said.

He explained that the Dangote Refinery task was financed done equity investments, indebtedness financing, and section and overseas loans. He added that the installation indispensable relation efficaciously to conscionable indebtedness obligations and warrant its monolithic investment.

“This refinery is financed done equity, debt, and loans. It has to relation to salvage the debt. We cannot clasp the full federation to ransom for issues that tin beryllium amicably settled crossed the table,” Shettima stated.

He said his presumption reflected “the existent stance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian people,” adding that the medication remains committed to protecting investments portion ensuring fairness and harmony betwixt labour and industry.