The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has demanded the ban of public officials from seeking medical care abroad in order to encourage investment in the country’s health care system by incoming administration.

In response to a reported impending food crisis in the country, PENGASSAN stated that it expects that Federal Government to declare an emergency in the agriculture and food sectors and to establish farm settlements across all states of the federation to convert teeming unemployed youths energies into productive ventures.

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, stated these at the Association’s 7th Triennial National Delegate’s Conference held Thursday in Abuja.

Others according to the union will cut across equity servicing challenges, operation and maintenance barriers, poor credit rating and poor business viability image to investors.

These the union emphasised will thwart electricity improvement under the Tinubu’s administration,

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, speaking yesterday at the union’s 7th Triennial National Delegates’ Conference in Abuja, said although electricity is considered a major determinant of economic development, attaining this has remained a problem, especially on the backdrop of a flawed privatization exercise.

He declared that the dismal outlook of the power sector may not change in 2023 or any time soon.

He also noted that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has not improved the electricity supply to homes and industries during its eight years tenure, which has remained at 4,500 megawatts.

While decrying the parlous state of the economy, Osifo stressed that Nigerians have hoped for a prosperous country with a steady growth of its GDP, increase access to employment and diversification of the economy but unfortunately, this is yet to be achieved more than six decades after independence.

The PENGASSAN leader declared that poor implementation of both fiscal and monetary policies and policy inconsistencies have continued to militate against Nigeria’s projected growth and development as a nation.

He further observed that rather than pursue growth and increased shared prosperity, the Buhari administration has put Nigeria’s current debt profile, as of the first quarter of 2023, in a quagmire that may take several generations to repay.

“The nation’s economy is confronted with many serious challenges like structural imbalance, corruption, weak human capital development, inequality, security challenges and excessive dependence on oil for revenue,” he stated.

Osifo added that another critical area Tinubu must be decisive is the multiple exchange regime.

The union leader reiterated the association’s advocacy 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.

According to him, “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.”

He then, advised that “henceforth appointments into the top echelon of all Anti-Corruption Agencies like EFCC, ICPC and Code of Conduct Bureau be thorough, painstaking and devoid of any political consideration so that the integrity of those at the helm of affairs shall not be called to question as we have seen in recent times. The fight against corruption should not only be fought but must be seen to be fought with prosecutions and convictions with severe sanctions that will serve as deterrence to anyone planning to toe such path.” (The Sun)

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