The former President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Comrade Peter Akpatason, has commended the Reginald Stanley-led management of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, for instituting transparency and sanity in the operations of the agency.

Akpatason who is now a member of the House of Representatives, gave the commendation last week in Abuja, while reacting to the recent suspension of a Swiss oil trading company, NIMEX Petroleum Ltd by the PPPRA.

He said that Stanley had shown the resolve and firmness necessary to realise the transformation agenda of the Federal Government in the downstream sector since he assumed office, and had demonstrated strong ability to carry oil and gas unions along in achieving the set goals in the oil industry.

Akpatason, who is the Sub-Committee Chairman on the PPPRA in the House, recalled that Stanley had demonstrated similar character during his tenure as the Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC.

He also lauded Stanley’s friendly disposition towards workers and unions, including NUPENG and PENGASSAN during his tenure as the chief executive officer of the PPMC, saying, “Anyone who describes Mr. Stanley as anti-labour is obviously misfiring and crying wolf where there is none.”

“In my understanding of the attitude of Mr Stanley during my interactions with him, I can say it anywhere without mincing words that Stanley is a gentleman. He is not anti-union,” Akpatason stated.

The lawmaker noted that it was dangerous for some unscrupulous people and mischief makers to embark on a campaign of calumny in a bid to distract the new PPPRA helmsman from his determination to achieve set goals.

On May 6, the PPPRA announced the suspension of a Swiss firm NIMEX, for failing to provide detailed documentation on its oil trading activities in Nigeria.

Announcing the suspension, Stanley said that the action was a clear warning to all marketers that a new regime of transparency and due process in the oil and gas industry had come to stay.

The downstream sector has been undergoing tremendous reforms in recent months, following the directive issued to government ministries and agencies by President Goodluck Jonathan in pursuit of the transformation agenda of his administration.