‘We’ll meet with striking oil workers immediately,’ Kachikwu says

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March 9, 2016 4:05 PM

The angry workers went on strike after Kachikwu announced that the NNPC would be split into independent units.

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

The angry workers went on strikeafter Kachikwu announced that the NNPC would be split into independent units.

"We are going to have a meeting with them right now,” Kachikwu told Reuters.

“I don't want the industry shut down - I am going now to resolve the issues very soon,” he added.

The minister also said that the changes are merely a "reorganization" of the company.

This decision to embark on the action was reached on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, during a meeting of the Group Executive Councils of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

According to the groups, they decided on the strike after “extensively discussing the pronouncement” and they “observed that the GMD/HMSP totally disregarded due process and failed to engage stakeholders.”

“Hence, from midnight today (Tuesday, March 8), all NNPC locations will be shut down completely until further notice. Further directives will be communicated accordingly,” they said.

PENGASSAN spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojugbana told Premium Times that the union was not carried along in the decision to split the company.

The unbundling of NNPC was announced by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu on Tuesday.

According to him, the oil company will be split into Upstream, Downstream, Gas & Power Marketing, Refineries and Ventures, Corporate Planning & Services and Finance and Accounts, all of which will run as separate units.

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