By Victor Ahiuma-Young

LAGOS — PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff, PENGASSAN, has warned on  the far-reaching implications of the decision by the United States to blacklist Nigeria as a terrorist country,  saying the action could  jeopardise the relationship between the two countries.

President and General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Messrs Babatunde Ogun and Bayo Olowoshile, in a statement said Nigeria was strategic to the US in all fronts — politically, economically, socially and culturally, noting that as major stakeholder in the oil and gas industry, the body was concerned over the signals that the US was sending to other countries.

According to the statement, “we are, therefore, within the context of the multi diversity of our trans- and multi-national environment making a very strong appeal that the US should earnestly review this wrong stigmatisation of serious prejudice on other Nigerians.

“PENGASSAN, as a major stakeholder and partner to the US government, businesses and labour institutions, cannot afford the backlash of any stand taken by both the US and Nigeria on this juvenile delinquency case.

“It is our hope that this singular case will be treated in isolation, considering the admission by US President Barack Obama on the inaction and nonchalant attitude of the US security agencies to the alerts and signals even from the father of erring lad.”