I Don’t Care If Tinubu Acts Like A Dictator, He Has The Right To Dissolve PENGASSAN – Ndume

Sunnex Egbu

3 hours ago

The Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has advised President Bola Tinubu to take drastic measures against the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) if the union continues to “serve private interests” rather than the public good.

Naijaonpoint reports that the Union had instructed its workers to go on a nationwide strike over Dangote refinery’s dismissal of “over 800 workers”.

Reacting to the development while appearing on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, on Monday, the lawmaker argued that PENGASSAN is supposed to serve the interests of Nigerians.

“This PENGASSAN is supposed to serve the interest of Nigerians, and their profession has to do with petroleum product that affects everything.

“This is Nigeria, which is supposed to be a free country. You can’t force someone to be in the union,” Ndume said.

He stated that he has long opposed “so-called unionism” that prioritises the benefits of a few individuals at the expense of the country.

The senator criticised the union for attempting to “impose demands” on the Dangote refinery.

“Dangote is a private businessman who established a refinery. You can’t come and impose anything on a private individual. If you want to be a union, then stay out of Dangote,” he said.

Ndume accused PENGASSAN of holding Nigerians “by the neck,” saying the workers do not own the oil or gas resources.

The senator questioned the union’s silence during critical moments in the oil sector.

“They are just workers. How can they be asking for more than the owners?” he asked.

“Where were they when the subsidy was removed and the fuel price rose to ₦1000? Where were they when the refineries stopped working and we were depending on imports?”.

Ndume urged Tinubu to take firm action and dissolve the union.

“The best thing is for the president to sign an executive order calling them off. He has the right to dissolve them. In this case, I don’t mind if he acts like a dictator because some situations require very drastic measures,” he said.