As fuel scarcity worsens
Despite assurances from the Federal Government that the restructuring of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will not lead to job losses, workers on Wednesday began a nationwide strike to protest the move.
The strike which was called barely 24 hours after the restructuring was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari and announced by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, shut down activities at the NNPC headquarters in Abuja totally crippled the power supply industry by withholding gas supply to major power generation plants.
Kachikwu had on Tuesday told journalists that the corporation has been restructured into five main business divisions operating in Upstream, Downstream, Gas and power, Refineries and Ventures; and additional two service divisions made up of finance and accounts, and corporate services.
But NNPC workers under the auspices of their two major unions, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) accused the government of alienating them in the process leading to the restructuring announcement.
The workers stated that they were not carried along in the entire process, hence their decision to down tool.
As a result, Power generation dropped to an average of about 1,500 MW, in the early hours of yesterday the unions’ action to protest the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The Major Gas supplier/Transporter Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) a subsidiary of NNPC did not supply gas to the power plants.
As at 5pm on wednesday evening when Nigerianeye monitored the generation plants, Egbin, Sapele, Sapele NIPP, Afam IV-V, Geregu Gas, Geregu NIPP, Omotosho gas, Omotosho NIPP, Olorunshogo gas, Olorunshogo NIPP, Alaoji NIPP, Ihobvor NIPP were not generating any power at all due to the strike action.
Only Generation from the Hydros, and Gas plants run by International Oil companies Okpai (Agip) and Afam VI (Shell) were generating to the grid.
The NNPC workers had threatened that the latest strike will affect every economic activity, as there will be no loading of petroleum products at the depots , a development that has escalated current fuel shortages, while also cutting gas supply.
Majority of Nigeria’s power plants whether on-grid or off-grid, depend on gas supply from the Nigeria Gas Company, a subsidiary of NNPC, to fuel the plants.
With NNPC workers making good its threat to cut off gas supply and suspend lifting of petroleum products, even to power homes and businesses through private generators will become more difficult and at premium costs.
Ikeja Distribution Company Picketing, Lagos in Total blackout.
The Ikeja Distribution company is also having their share of strike action as Labour leaders under the auspice of Electricity Employees Union of Nigeria and its affiliate labour unions have continued barricade of the energy company’s offices since Tuesday.
The workers allegedly cause a major transmission line; The Egbin-Oke Aro line to trip thereby causing other major transmission lines to trip thereby preventing the transmission of power from the generating plants to the Lagos metropolis for about 12 hours on Tuesday.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Apc Changi. Sai ! Baba!
ReplyDeleteMy friend shut up! Saboteur that you are.
DeleteMartin the suffering and smiling guy...you are the one that should shut up..what explanation do u have for all this rubbish...nothing...all u can say is for the young man to shut up...God will keep us alive till 2019,and we shall boot u people out...APshit is cursed and clueless...very soon you will blame gej,bring it on,am waiting...
DeleteLet's call a spade a spade, things are not working as promised by APC, yes it may not be their doing but they should have look inward before promising Nigerians heaven on earth. Fuel scarcity will be our trademark for a long time.
ReplyDeleteHow should additional of 2 division cause strike action? This is stupid and foolishness.
ReplyDeleteThere are people who doesn't want things to improve in this country bcos of their selfish gain and working tirelessly toward it. And some people innocently support them.
Why do people resist improvement and they want improve life.
May God help us.
Buhari cannot withstand the oil cabal..just watchout and see
ReplyDeleteOh yes PMB will withstand and overcome these ruthless oil cabals and any other group or persons that don't want us to move forward as a nation in Jesus name! Wemust rise up and say no to poverty. Some people cannot be making millions n billions and expect that the rest of us will stand and kiss the ground they walk on. Striking for partisan reasons must stop. Enough is enough!
ReplyDelete@prince Nwoye,it is so obvious that majority of the critics here are mostly from your side of the country.You mentioned that you guys will put them out in 2019 like you guys voted for him in the first place.Let me enlighten you,it has been proven that he will still win without your votes should he decides to run again.You guys must be the enemy of progress to criticize him at every given opportunity.Gej was the worst president we ever had,he and his cohort stole a lot of money in the bilions of dollars during the oil boom,this money would've best be saved for this current downtrum as a result of the drop in oil price.The guy is trying to restructure an nnpc establishment that is very corrupt and filled with a lot of powerful individuals that are preventing you and I from enjoying the dividend of democracy.The price of oil has dropped from from about $140 to about $40,it I quite obvious that the revenue generated isn't enough to service the requirement of the country.You have all this canals buying dollars at $199 bank rate to finance projects outside of the country and then bringing back the money into d country to sell at exurbitant black market rate.We are all feeling this hardship together but,i am all in for any move to break us from the shackles of all this leeches
ReplyDeleteWhat has my side of the country have to do with the current hardship...my frend,u are spewing rubbish,dnt worry,ask your brothers the kind of hunger they have experienced this past few months,mayb from there,u can make ur deductions...
DeleteProven by who if I may ask...yea I remember,proven by the hunger dealing with you right now...mtsheew
DeleteNigerians seat back and think what harm you are all doing to your fatherland. We all voted for chqanges but here you rabeling against the major breakthrough. NNPC has not been in other, God knows for decades and now you are against the first step taken to decongest. I believe we need to give peace a chance if we must need drastic changes. Few people are benefiting from its old way of distribution and now government want the masses to enjoy the benefit of our raw materials, and here you are kicking against new suggestions. God have mercy. Who do you blame? The few radicals that are holding you to boundage or government that is suggesting new dimension? Please lets reason together and get this country out of its president predicament before its out of hand. God bless the peace loving citizens of Nigeria
ReplyDelete