The newly sworn in chairman of the Independent Marketers’ Branch (IMB), of Nigeria Union of Petroleum And Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Comrade Olayemi Oluleye has expressed optimism that the repairing of our local refinaries is the best palliative that the federal government can give the suffering masses at a time like this.
Olaleye also called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency give a marching order to NNPC to expedite action on repairing of refinaries and depots across the country.
Olaleye stressed this is the only way the federal government can ease Nigerians from economy hardship situation as a result of fuel subsidy removal.
Comrade Olaleyele made this known in Ibadan, the Capital city of Oyo state over the weekend during the 5th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the union, shortly after he was sworn in alongside other executive members for another four years tenure as the chairman of the IMB.
In his words, Olaleye said, “I’m happy for God has given me another opportunity through our members that elected for another tenure of four years, I’m so happy. I will continue to do our best to make sure that the welfarism of our members is not comprised, anything we can do within our power or within our reach we will do it to make sure that we improve on their welfarism.”
“Our union NUPENG is line with the federal government decision on deregulation but what we’re advising is that government should have delayed it a bit to allow our refineries to be renovated, or they should have allowed the NNPC to do the turn around of our refinaries before embarking on deregulation, because the effect of deregulation is seriously affecting everybody.”
“Our own branch of NUPENG is badly affected because we are the representative of the indigenous directors both in the oil and gas sector, for now our of all 21 depots we have in the country only three is working, and these three are not working in full capacity, we’ve stopped loading in Ejigbo Lagos depot now since few months ago in the name of repairing equipment, so we are appealing to the government that they should expedite the turn around maintenance of all our refinaries, this will serve as a best palliative for all Nigerians, for instance conventional depot is our lifeline.”
“We could have been be more than this number here today if the economic condition of our country is normal but because all our units chairmen in the north cannot attend this conference due to hardship caused by removal of subsidy because they’re not loading, and if they’re not loading how will they get money?”
So we are appealing to President Tinubu to order NNPC on immediate action of turn around of our refinaries across the country, they should expedite action on it because without working in the depots all of us here will be jobless and we don’t want to be jobless.” He Olaleye said.
While speaking on pipeline vandalism, Olaleyele urged the perpetrators to have rethink and purse a genuine ways of making money. He said, “We are appealing to everyone that indulge in the act of pipeline vandalism to desist from it because this act is sabotaging our economy, I don’t know even know what they want to gain from it, two months ago they make an attempt at Ejigbo before the security agents apprehended them, assuming they got that done successfully, we will not have access to little ones we are loading now I just don’t know their intentions, they want us to also join labour market, we don’t know who is who, we want that act to be the things of the past, these people should stop vandalizing the NNPC pipeline is not good.”
While speaking of the refinaries can still be repaired, Olaleyele said, “We in the downstream sector are very sure that our refinaries will work again, if they cannot repair the ones we have, the should go and build new ones, they should go and build a new ones in the oil producing states, our refinaries will work. Olaleye said.
In his lecture, titled “Impact of deregulation on the oil and gas industry on effective and efficient depot representative functions” the NUPENG -Gener Secretary, Comrade Olawale Afolabi said, “We are all culpable of the reality facing us in the oil industry sector today.
He blamed all the stakeholders in the oil sector on the successful activities of the criminals that specialize in pipeline vandalism, he however called for immediate legal action against the act, as he marinated that their activities has resulted in economic sabotage of the country.
While speaking on deregulation, Afolabi said, “deregulation could have been a bit soft on us if all our depots and refinaries are in fully operation, maybe our refinaries couldn’t have gone to this comatose if those depots have been in operations, if those pipelines have been working perfectly without been compromised, maybe we will not have been facing this current hardship we are facing today, let’s look at where we are coming from, the decision to fully deregulate is as a result of non transparency, no accountability, lost of revenue, and when we are looking at the lost of revenue, this has scaled down from the top to below, from everyday of our activities.”
“Now we have been deregulated but what is the direct impact on all of us, how many of your employers can still come confidently to the market to buy products today, we need to change our approach to ways we handle things, those people that specialize in pipeline vandalism should stop it, they’re not doing any good for our country, those of you that are buying the products from them are also contributing to failure of our country, you too are not helping matter, the community people and the community leaders that are helping these people are not helping the situation either, they all contributed to where we are today, we all need to stop this evil act before is too late for us all.” He said.