Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relocate the Military Chiefs to the Niger Delta, to halt crude oil theft, generate more revenue for the country..
President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo who spoke to newsmen on the sidelines of the Association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja, stressed the need for the government to pay more attention to the Niger Delta region as an increase to crude oil production was critical to stabilising the economy..
He said: “We have tried to let government understand that they need to pay more attention to what’s happening in the Niger Delta.
“We’re talking about solid minerals they are quite good, we are talking about diversification they are quite good but they cannot come overnight. The easiest solution and what can come readily overnight is actually incremental production of crude oil today.
“If all is done the right way we could increase our crude oil production by nothing less than 30%. When this is done it’s going to give us more fx, when this is done the CBN could have much more financial muscles to be able to defend our naira so we employ government President Tinubu to ask his commanders to relocate to Niger Delta and ensure that this menace of crude oil theft is put to a halt.
“If you put it to a halt you will be able to generate more revenue and at the end of the day, the Nigerian state will be better for it.”
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Condemning the killing of military personnel at Okuoma community in Delta state, he urged the military to approach the situation with caution to avoid a repeat of what happened in Zaki Biam and Odi, while ensuring perpetrators of the acts were caught and justice served.
While expressing concerns over government’s explanation of only increasing the electricity tarriff of those within Band A and enjoying 20 hours light, Osifo who doubles as President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), noted that the details were currently being studied to allow labour address the issue properly, as government may be deploying a strategy to ensure a seamless enforcement of a new tariff across all Bands.
According to him, labour would take a formal position after studying the details to ensure that the downtrodden Nigerians would not be affected.
“Cross examining it, they said it’s for those within band A and those within band A are those that are receiving 20 hours light in a day, but we are to interrogate this further because as of today, just jumping from 66 Naira to about N225 is quite enormous.
“We need to also check the cost today if you are powering your generator is it even up to 255? We think that government should exist for the purpose of serving the people. Looking at it peripherally without studying the detail because we are yet to study the details, we think that the price hike is quite astronomical.”
The Labour leader added, “Given the currency flotation that has put us in this mess literally today, adding that to the subsidy removal, I think it is quite drastic.
“Part of our fear is also you know, government will come and they may test these for the high class as they have explained; for those living in Maitama, Asokoro VI who knows, in the next one week or two weeks, they may also cascade this down.”
PENGASSAN also raised concerns over the implementation of targeted subsidies tailored to the specific needs of each state and on goods and services, as it fears it may be hijacked by government officials and not get to the vulnerable whom they were intended for.
“While the government’s intentions to help alleviate the burden of the cost of living on Nigerian citizens are noble, we must also be mindful of the potential implications of such a subsidy. It is important that we carefully consider the long-term effects of this policy and explore alternative solutions that can address the root causes of poverty and inequality in our society as giving of handouts alone cannot completely solve the problem.
“The government has recently announced its intent to introduce subsidy on essential goods to alleviate the burden on the average Nigerian citizen. While this may seem like a well-intentioned effort to help those struggling to make ends meet, these goods must get to the vulnerable and must not be hijacked by government officials as witnessed earlier.
“Moreover, subsidies on the cost of living may not necessarily benefit those.most in need. Subsidies are often regressive, meaning that they disproportionately benefit wealthier individuals who can afford the goods and services being subsidized. This could still result in a misallocation of resources and further exacerbate income inequality in our society.”
On the nation’s rising debt profile currently approaching over 107 trillion naira, PENGASSAN warned that with no corresponding evidence of proper use of the loans, was a time bomb with “highly catastrophic implications” as the future of the country was being traded away.
“It is a show of purposeless borrowings and a speedy destruction of our tomorrow and this should be halted. Borrowings are supposed to be tied to projects that will generate funds for the liquidation of such loans or stimulate other economic activities that will lead to an improvement in the GDP of our country.
“The Federal and state governments should as a matter of urgency stop trading away the future of our nation and proactively use resources within their means to meet the obligations, they owe Nigerians rather than this purposeless borrowing.”
Condemning the increasing rate of abductions especially students and children, the Association expressed worry that kidnappings have become a grave threat to the safety and security of the country, and appealed to the international community to support Nigeria in addressing the growing menace.
“No word can adequately express the grief and anger we feel at the thought of these innocent children and vulnerable women being subjected to unimaginable horrors at the hands of heartless criminals.
“It is unconscionable that our fellow citizens, who should be protected and nurtured, are instead confronted with the terror of being ripped away from their families and communities. We must collectively take a stand against these heinous acts and demand immediate action from our government and law enforcement agencies. These kidnappers must be brought to justice and face the full force of the law.
“We also appeal to the international community to lend their support, expertise, and resources to help combat this growing menace. However, we cannot rely solely on external assistance – we must also address the roots of this crisis within our society. Ending the upsurge in kidnappings requires a holistic approach that addresses the underlying causes.”