By Michael Eboh

ABUJA — Workers of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, yesterday, shut down the operations of the PPPRA nationwide over the appointment of another Acting Executive Secretary of the agency.

The new Acting Executive Secretary, Mrs. Sotonye Iyoyo, a staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, was introduced to senior officials of the PPPRA, Monday, as the new chief executive of the agency by the acting permanent secretary from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in conjunction with two directors of the ministry.

The workers promised to continue the protest until the Federal Government addresses the issue of who the actual chief executive of the PPPRA is, between Mr. Moses Mbaba, who the immediate past Executive Secretary handed over to last Thursday and Iyoyo.

Speaking in Abuja, Mr. Victor Ononokpono, Chairman, PENGASSAN, PPPRA Branch, alleged that on assumption of office on Monday, Iyoyo immediately approved the payment of N3.4 billion subsidy claims to oil marketers under questionable circumstances, as the payments were due in the second quarter of 2016.

He also called on the anti-graft agencies in the country to beam their searchlight on the PPPRA, as according to him, something is amiss.

He blamed the confusion on external forces and entrenched interests who are keen on carrying out some questionable agenda through the PPPRA.

He said: “The haste in appointing another acting chief executive for PPPRA is curious. However, I do not think it is the Federal Government. I believe there are external forces other than the Federal Government because when the second executive secretary came in, the haste with which she started handling files and even sign out payments for subsidy claims is alarming, especially when the person currently there has not handed over to her.

“She signed out Batch P of subsidy claims payments for second quarter. We are talking of subsidy payments due for second quarter of 2016. The amount approved for subsidy payment was N3.4 billion. Is it a coincidence to think that was the first file she reached out to.”

Ononokpono further stated that the workers were rejecting the appointment of officers from companies that the PPPRA is supposed to be regulating, such as the NNPC, to head the agency.

According to him, the second leg of the protest is the union’s rejection of having to use or select chief executives from operating and marketing companies to head PPPRA, which is a regulatory agency, stating that it is unethical and highly unprofessional.

He maintained that in some instances, they discovered that these appointees still keep their appointments in their parent organization, thereby ensuring 100 per cent loyalty to the parent organization.

He said, “In the last 10 years, this has been the trend; it has affected and impaired the activities of PPPRA in no little way and we are saying going forward, this is a season of change, it presupposes that due processes must be followed.

“If we want to address the issue of regulation and control in Nigeria, we must also determine the source of leadership. It is key. That is the Union grouse, the source of leadership.”

Ononokpono, however, stated that the protest would not affect the fuel supply situation in the country, as the union has put in place measures to ensure that depots are not affected in the lockdown.

He said, “All our offices nationwide are shut down, but we are a responsible union, our national body has intervened, and we are looking out ways of not building up unnecessary supply issue. We are looking at freeing the depots and other facilities and concentrate on the Head office. It would not have any effect on the fuel supply situation.”