The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), on Thursday, delivered a message of demands to the incoming government of the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

PENGASSAN in the message asked the incoming government to ensure that it takes immediate action to comprehensively implement Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). And also that the ongoing rehabilitation of refineries and associated pipelines are concluded in the interest of Nigeria’s economy.

The National President of the Union, Comrade Festus Osifo, who said this when he presented his welcome address at the 7^th Triennial National Delegates Conference of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association in Abuja, noted that there plethora of issues that require immediate action from the incoming.

His words; “As the new government comes in, we implore them to fast track the implementation of different sections of the Act to the benefit of Nigerians.

“The provision of the Act that will further deepen the development of the midstream sector of the Nigeria oil and gas industry should be aggressively implemented. This will lead to the provision of gas infrastructure that will in turn aid gas development and help in harnessing the vast gas reserves in the country.

“We warn that the implementation of the PIA must not be made to pass through arm-twisting tactical bureaucratic monsters that bedevilled the PIB. The Host Community Development fund and trust should be immediately constituted.”

On the rehabilitation of refineries and associated pipelines, Osifo who is also the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), added; “Members of our Association are quite happy with the current rehabilitation going on in our refinery today most especially the Port Harcourt Refinery.

“We commend the current NNPC management led by Mallam Mele Kyari OFR for the bold steps towards a workable approach to bringing back on stream the ailing refineries and effort to put in place the Operations & Maintenance Strategy that may eventually bring about the desired change in operations model of the refineries.

“We will also continue to advocate for the adoption of the NLNG model in the running of the Nation’s four Refineries when fully revamped and the creation of an enabling environment for the establishment and operation of modular and private Refineries.

“We are happy that the current NNPC led Management is favourably disposed to such. With the Dangote refinery, there will be a significant impact on the fuel supply dynamics, including easing pressure on the economy, especially when combined with the ongoing revamping of the three refineries in the country.

“The incoming government must do all within its reach to see to the conclusion of the current rehabilitation effort and initiatives that are currently in place so that our nation’s refinery will come up in no time.

“Our Association pledges to continue to lend its voice and support to policies that would put the Nation’s Oil and Gas sector in good shape to enable it to compete with its peers in other parts of the world.

“We welcome the bold move by operators of Dangote Refinery coming on stream soon and hope that its addition will enhance local production, reduce products importation as well as end the era of uncertainties in petroleum products pricing and evils of subsidy payment.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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