PENGASSAN calls Nigerian Customs and Immigration who are charged with manning the nation’s borders to act professionally and to stop the high rate of smuggling of petroleum products across West African countries.
By Eberechi Obinagwam,
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, has demanded an immediate end to the avoidable, unnecessary, crippling and pain-inducing fuel shortages and unapproved price hike in the country.
PENGASSAN stated this through it’s National Executive Council (NEC) at the end of their one day meeting to discourse the mirage of issues and challenges confronting the nation and the environment in Abuja recently.
The NEC in session after an extensive deliberation on both national and industrial insecurity issues said that no excuse is good enough to cripple the country.
“If there are challenges, they should be fixed; we have a government in power to fix not to make excuses.”
In a statement signed by PENGASSAN general secretary, Comrade Lumumba Ighotemu Okugbawa, said that the NEC-In- Session demanded that the various security agencies, especially the men of Nigerian Customs and Immigration who are charged with manning the nation’s borders to act professionally and to stop the high rate of smuggling of the products across West African countries.
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He said PENGASSAN demanded that the various deports and other storage facilities especially those owned and operated by NNPC be upgraded and made accessible to all operators to lift the product.
PENGASSAN however expressed willingness to collaborate with the Federal Government and assist in all ways possible to overcome the country’s present challenges. It also cautions the government against taking the Nigerian people for granted as it seems to be manifestly doing on various crucial national issues.
On the issue of the forthcoming general election, the NEC in session expresses mixed feelings with the fears in minds of many well meaning Nigerians being whether the electoral process will be free, fair, and credible.
They however, called on all arms of government to ensure that the electoral act recently signed into law are respected and adhered to holistically. “Specifically, the aspects dealing with the use of electronic devices such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine should not be toyed with if we truly desire elections that will stand the taste of times.”
For credible election, the NEC demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security agencies and other key actors in the electoral process should use this window to reassure Nigerians that 2023 general elections will be credible, free and fair.
PENGASSAN also encouraged the youth and the working class to actively participate in the electoral process to rescue the country from further slide, while INEC is cautioned on the need to issue voters card to all eligible voters to enable them exercise their franchise.
They also sounded a note of warning to the four recently sworn in Residents Electoral Commissioners who despite oppositions from the Civil Society Organisations scaled through the partisan screening processes; that Nigerians will be watching them and the roles they will play.