‘You Demonized Dangote, But Fail To Compel NNPCL To Convert Contract Staff To Full Employment, Shame On NUPENG-PENGASSAN’ —Group Laments, Seeks Tinubu’s Intervention 

 

 A civil society group in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, known as Right for Human Dignity and Justice (RHDAJ), on Thursday has lambasted the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), saying the two frontline labour groups have failed Nigerian workers in the oil and gas sector especially those in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

 

In a communiqué issued at the end of its quarterly executive session which was the last for 2025, executive director of the rights group a senior lawyer, Ihe­anyi Kingsley, said both unions who in their scope of duties failed to compel the GMD of NNPCL, Mr. Bayo Ojulari to convert all contract staff in the company to full employment could be so convenient to disrupt a privately owned refinery belonging to Alhaji Aliko Dangote using crude and brute force to unionise workers. 

 

The group also reacted to how Nigeria’s $20 billion Dangote Refinery almost came to a halt after the oil workers’ unions launched an industrial action protesting the alleged dismissal of more than 800 employees; while NUPENG on his part wanted all petroleum tanker drivers working for Dangote to be under its control. These actions by these Unions according to RHDAJ was setting bad precedents for Nigeria making it look like an hostile environment not suitable for investment.

 

RHDAJ said PENGASSAN and NUPENG “deserve a vote of no confidence or to be totally proscribed.” It also begged President Bola Tinubu to compel NNPCL GMD, Mr. Bayo Ojulari to convert all contract or casual staff into full employment.

 

Ihe­anyi on behalf of the the group also stressed that the two unions have always been a disappointment and have “severally disappointed Nigerian workers.”

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RHDAJ stated, “Nigerians and other industry stakeholders should look at how PENGASSAN and NUPENG became so forceful on Dangote Refinery, a company that is barely one year into operation, but a publicly owned company like NNPCL could not fix its four refineries for decades and still reduced qualified and competent Nigerian workers s to a contract staff status, meanwhile PENGASSAN and NUPENG saw nothing wrong in this, could not picket NNPCL because of the gratification and other form of inducements they receive from them at the expense of hapless Nigerian workers..

 

“Behind Nigeria’s lucrative oil and gas sector lies a harsh reality, contract staff, the industry’s backbone, are overworked and underpaid and face systemic inequalities that tarnish the sector’s success. It’s a shame this is happening not just in Nigeria but in NNPCL. What right does the unions now have to condemn any privately owned companies for subjugating workers to slavery? We urge our listening President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on Mr. Bayo Ojulari to change this ugly and embarrassing narrative. Nigeria must set a good example to others under this Renewed Hope Agenda.

 

“At RHDAJ we have therefore evaluated the activities of the PENGASSAN/NUPENG, and we have come to the conclusion that these labour unions for both senior and junior workers are deceiving Nigerian workers and that this present crop of leadership will not lead a struggle towards the emancipation of the working class. We will only be deceiving ourselves if we don’t engage this ugly situation critically.

 

“It has always been a story of disappointment. The two unions have severally disappointed Nigerian workers. The current hardship faced by workers nationwide has shown that they have lost their relevance but only interested in collecting check off dues to satisfy their selfish desires and reaping where they do not sow.

 

“There is no excuse, however, to allow for this mass suffering and torture of the working class. The current situation has proven that the unions have been playing lip service to the plight of suffering workers and the masses. The two labour unions have been allegedly hypocritical, playing to the gallery and most times diverting the attention of workers with petty agitations.

 

“It is disheartening to give your all and still feel undervalued. This wage gap is even more disheartening considering the rising cost of living in Nigeria, driven by inflation and skyrocketing prices of essential goods, transportation, and electricity tariffs due to inflation. Meanwhile, contract staff in NNPCL and other companies in Nigeria even in the banking sector face strict performance targets with little support, risking termination without notice or compensation if they fall short, leaving them financially insecure.

 

“Contract staff are frequently subjected to discriminatory treatment in the workplace. They are excluded from training programmes, team-building exercises, and other opportunities that could enhance their skills and career prospects. This marginalisation not only limits their professional growth but also reinforces the perception that they are second-class employees.

 

“The majority of them are not enjoying medical. Ask the majority of these sets of workers. It is only drugs they can give them. Contract staff can be dismissed at any time without notice or severance pay, leaving them vulnerable. If they are asked to go, what they are going to go home with, like redundancy, many of these companies including NNPCL will not even consult the union for negotiation. This must stop if we truly want to keep the workplace environment healthy for Nigerian workers. Why are these Unions afraid of telling NNPCL to stop enslaving Nigerians? But they can demonize Dangote, shame on both of them, PENGASSAN and NUPENG. We repeat these Unions should leave Dangote Refinery alone and allow its business to flourish.” the communique said.