The Independent Marketers branch of the National Union of Petroleum Marketers and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the management of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over Nigeria refineries.
NUPENG sought for Tinubu and the NNPCL to execute action on the turnaround of the nation’s refineries.
It believed that the functionality of the refineries held immense potential in alleviating the hardships caused by the fuel subsidy removal.
The appeal was made by the chairman, Comrade Oluleye Olayemi, who was re-elected for a second term during the 5th Quadrennial Branch Delegate Conference of the association.
The conference focused on the impact of deregulation on the oil and gas industry and the importance of effective and efficient depot representative functions.
Their statement read:
“The Branch is in support of the position of the Nigerian Labour and NUPENG National Executive Council on the deregulation policy of the oil and gas industry. While the subsidy removal can be said to be a right decision but the timing could have been deferred till the refineries become functional.
“Government should have built refineries in phases across the oil producing states and gradually remove subsidy. We are badly affected by deregulation. We appeal to government that they should expedite refineries turn around and maintenance of our refineries.
“We are badly affected as many marketers are not loading and that affected our members who could not attend. Without renovation of depot, many people will be jobless.”
He also appealed to pipeline saboteurs to desist from the threat which he said was putting many people out of work.
The statement added:
“we appeal to disgruntled elements to desist from vandalising pipeline. The refineries can work.”
