Fuel Scarcity: Oil Workers Begin Strike Today, Queue Returns At Filling Stations

PENGASSAN embarks on strike today.

Some filling stations shut down on Sunday in Lagos, Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa, Kadunna States, following the threats by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) of Nigeria to embark on a nationwide strike from today, Monday.

Some of the managers of the filling stations who sold petrol last week refused to sell to buyers on Sunday, saying they were executing the directive of PENGASSAN.

A source, who is an executive of a Lagos-based oil marketing company, told Punch that the lingering supply shortfall caused the queues at filling stations. He said a new vessel, which came in on Friday and had started discharging about 35 million litres of PMS, would improve the supply situation at depots and filling stations this week.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Ndu Ughamadu, said on Sunday that the management of the firm was meeting officials of PENGASSAN, and disclosed also that there was no plan to increase the pump price of petrol as speculated by some officials.

He said, “As we speak right now, the NNPC is holding consultation with the association on this matter and we are optimistic.”

The Public Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, Fortune Obi, said it would be meeting with the Department of State Services, yesterday, as a result of the planned strike by the association.

He said, “At the moment, nothing has changed but we will be having a meeting with the Department of State Services by 6pm today (Sunday). That is the latest development. However, we will still go ahead with our Central Working Committee meeting tomorrow (Monday).

“The meeting with the DSS should be basically on the strike issue and I think the management officials of Neconde are likely going to be at the meeting.”

When told that the decision by PENGASSAN to embark on a nationwide industrial action had led to long queues in filling stations, Obi said, “More of such will happen because there is a directive to members to shut down operations and some of them have already started, which is why some outlets are not dispensing.”