NUPENG accuses NNPC of running monopolistic system; insists fuel scarcity will continue

As the three days given by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, for his ministry to end the lingering fuel scarcity expired, Monday, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has said that the ongoing fuel scarcity in the country will continue until the Federal Government took affirmative action on petroleum products availability.
The declaration comes even as independent oil marketers and other private petroleum products operators insisted that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was running a monopolistic system. “Clearly from the perspective of our own study, in as much we are concerned with the current situation we find ourselves, scarcity will continue. However, like we rightly said, if Federal Government is having a political will to address these issues, definitely, we will get out of this quagmire. For now, I’m sure we will still continue to find ourselves in where we are.
“NNPC, through its Products and Pipeline Marketing Company, PPMC, subsidiary is trying everything possible to see that this scarcity issue is resolved, but it also requires the commitment of all stakeholders,” said President of NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese.
On the loading of products at the depots of PPMC and other marketers, he argued that: “It is not an issue of Capital Oil, or Mosimi, it is an issue of the process. We need to change our approach, we need to change our structure in terms of the way and manner we carry out these operations.”
On the proposed NNPC restructuring plans, Achese said: “When carrying our restructuring, all stakeholders inclusive of the civil society groups and the workers are supposed to be part and parcel of the various restructuring that you are putting on ground. When there is no mutual trust, it becomes a very difficult one. “For now, we hope that the Honourable minister will reconvene another stakeholders meeting that will address some of these critical issues as expected, and then serious commitment being made. In the past stakeholders’ meetings that were summoned, the union leadership was not involved in those meetings. “From the last meeting we had with the minister over the strike issues with NNPC workers, we had some strong understanding that due consultations will be made henceforth. The communication gap will be bridged, and everybody will work hand in hand in getting issues resolved, and it is our hope that these issues will be resolved as quickly as possible.”
He noted that although the minister said unbundling, he later said it is not unbundling, but rather restructuring, and as such, has the prerogative to also do some restructuring after seeking the necessary approval of Mr President, who also happens to be the Minister of Petroleum Resources.