Reps move to resolve feud between PENGASSAN, Dangote refinery

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

The House of Representatives has constituted an advertisement hoc committee, chaired by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, to mediate successful the ongoing quality betwixt the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Dangote Refinery.

The determination followed the adoption of a question of urgent nationalist value jointly sponsored by Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Rep. Abdulsamad Dasuki, titled “The Need to Protect Strategic Private Investments from Adversarial Unionism,” during Tuesday’s plenary.

Moving the motion, Doguwa expressed interest implicit the caller face-off betwixt PENGASSAN and the absorption of the Dangote Refinery located successful the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos. The concern action, helium said, disrupted operations astatine the $20 cardinal facility, the largest single-train refinery successful the world.

According to Doguwa, the onslaught resulted successful a impermanent disruption of crude lipid production, with an estimated regular nonaccomplishment of 200,000 barrels implicit 3 days. He added that the concern aggravated the substance proviso situation nationwide, starring to scarcity and agelong queues astatine filling stations crossed respective states, thereby inflicting hardship connected Nigerians.

He said, “Dangote Refinery represents a strategical backstage concern of immense nationalist importance, with the capableness to fortify vigor security, trim dependence connected substance importation, make jobs, and prevention overseas exchange.

“We are alert that the Dangote Refinery operates wrong a Free Trade Zone and truthful falls nether the regulatory model of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, peculiarly Section 18(5) of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act, which intelligibly states that ‘Employment successful the escaped portion shall beryllium governed by rules and regulations made by the Authority and not taxable to the provisions of immoderate enactments relating to employment matters.’

“The House is acrophobic that actions by labour unions that disregard the ineligible protections conferred connected Free Zones nether the NEPZA Act not lone represent a breach of instrumentality but besides make a hostile concern situation that whitethorn deter aboriginal section and overseas investors.

“We are disquieted that if backstage investments of strategical nationalist value are continually subjected to unlawful disruptions by adversarial unionism, Nigeria risks not lone the nonaccomplishment of cardinal economical assets but besides the erosion of capitalist assurance indispensable for nationalist maturation and development.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged its enactment to broker bid betwixt the 2 parties successful the involvement of the nation.

The station Reps determination to resoluteness feud betwixt PENGASSAN, Dangote refinery appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.