By Victor AHIUMA-YOUNG, Jimitota ONOYUME & James UWEM OGWUDA
ALTHOUGH the federal government is uncertain on its planned total deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, labour leaders and their allies in the civil society groups are not taking chances.

They have begun massive mobilisation of Nigerians against the government deregulation policy.

The government, which had earlier given indication that it would commence full deregulation by November 1, 2009 and that prices of the products would go up from that day, last Thursday denied the November 1 story and insisted that it would engage labour unions in discussions.

Nevertheless, leaders of the oil workers have directed members to be on the alert and ready to ensure that government does not inflict more pains and sufferings on the masses through another pump price hike.

Under the umbrella of Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO), a platform put together by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), and Joint Action Forum (JAF), comprising progressive civil society organisations, the workers have vowed not to accept any further hike in fuel prices in the name of deregulation.

LASCO leaders have scheduled a rally for Abuja on  October 29th in preparation  for a  cross country mass protest should the government go ahead with the planned deregulation.

On its part, officials of  NLC in Abuja  have commenced distribution of  handbills on the streets of the city , calling   Nigerians  to be prepared  to join in the proposed  deregulation protest and the eventual strike.

Some of the bills read :  ‘Deregulation   is exploitation by  a few in power!  It  means   adulteration of  petroleum products   and  fuel  hoarding! It  is  evil and   deadly   and  also weapon  of  mass poverty. Let’s  join  hand  and  reject  deregulations.”

Lagos arm of LASCO has fixed a meeting for next week to strategise and intensify mobolisation against the planned deregulation.

Sounding a note of warning, President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Peter Akpatason, advised government to jettison the idea of deregulation in 2009 and even in the nearest future to avoid deregulating the nation crisis.

According to him, “Even the government has admitted that it is faced with several challenges which needed to be addressed. They have not addressed any of the identified challenges.

There is the problem of the pipelines, the port facilities, dredging, bad roads and above all, Nigerians cannot even afford to pay additional fuel price now. We have told government that if they must deregulate, it must not be import driven. If you deregulate now, you will definitely deregulate the nation into crisis.”

Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has also collaborated with its NUPENG counterpart that government cannot deregulate the sector now, unless it wants to incur the wrath of Nigerians who have been going through hardships for a very long time.

The National Union of Textile and Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) said any deregulation and increase in the pump price of fuel would kill the remaining industries that have been struggling to survive.

He dismissed government’s argument that it is spending too much on subsidy, asking whether “Nigerians are complaining? It is only the government officials who do not know what the people of Nigeria are going through that are complaining.”

Oil workers threaten strike as long queues resurface

Already, long queues have surfaced in Abuja, neighbouring states, Port Harcourt and its environs in what observers see as hoarding and panic buying of products following announcement that government would commence full deregulation on November 1.
Piqued by the development, oil workers around Port Harcourt area have threatened to down tools   should the  National Assembly ignore views of key stakeholders in the oil and gas sector before passage of  the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law.

In a statement issued and signed by Comrades Victor Olley and Peter O. Akpenka, chairman and secretary of Producers Forum, a member union of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the duo urged the legislators to ensure that the bill does not in any way cause Nigerians in the oil sector to lose their jobs and entitlements like existing pension plans.

Meanwhile, long queues remained yesterday at the premises of few filling stations dispensing petrol in Port Harcourt.  But the Port Harcourt unit of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers has suspended its three day- old strike in the state.  This was after a meeting that lasted about an hour with the state Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Dr Dawari George at the refinery in Port Harcourt.

George had discovered that some of the petrol attendants were selling the product for as much as N80 per litre. He also warned against selling of petrol in cans, ordering the arrest of workers of a filling station for hoarding the product.

NASU, SSANU, NAAT suspend strike

In a another development,   leadership of the Non Academic  Staff Union of  Education and Associated  Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technology (NAAT)  and their  Senior  Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) counterpart,  yesterday followed the line of  the Academic  Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU )  to  suspend their ongoing strikes in the  universities for two weeks.

At a  joint  press  briefing  in Abuja,  leaders  of  the three unions,   under the auspices  of  Join Action Committee  of  NAAT, NASU  and SSANU,  stated  that  the  strike  is  being  suspended  for two weeks  to  enable  government   and  the unions  to further deliberate  and  look  into demands  of the  unions   which  bother  on  proper  funding of  the university system ,   staff  welfare   and better   remunerations  for  its  members.