By Eberechi Obinagwam
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on the Nigerian to embark on urgent repair of roads in the country.
PENGASSAN President, Ndukaku M. Ohaeri, made the appeal at the end of the National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, according to the group’s secretary, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa.
The president also explained that the speedy repair of the roads would end the loss of lives and properties due to accidents.
His words:
“The NEC-in-Session expresses serious concerns about the level of decay of the nation’s infrastructure; especially roads, healthcare and educational facilities. It was observed that there were no appreciable efforts by the government at all levels to repair/rehabilitate roads, which have turned to death traps.
“Concerning Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, NEC-in-Session advocates for the establishment of a special Stakeholders’ Committee comprising of the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Labour Unions to review the Local Content Policy.
“The NEC-in-Session supports the House of Representatives’ plan to investigate the implementation of local content involvement in the nation’s Oil and Gas Sector as such gesture will enable the country and stakeholders in the oil industry determine the level of compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development Act.”
Besides, he said that the committee called on the Federal Government to exert appropriate sanction(s) against any defaulting employer to demonstrate the sanctity of the law and the need to obey same religiously.
“Additionally, the NEC-in-Session advised that the issue bordering on Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, should not be limited to the name or material components of jobs alone but should be on increasing the number of Nigerian employees and transfer of knowledge, especially those in top management positions.
“Also, the committee commended the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government through the “Operation White” to nip in the bud the recurring cases of smuggling of fuel across the border towns of the country.
“Nigeria has been said to be losing N 2 billion to fuel smuggling, with attendant severe implications to the economy, which is currently gasping for survival,” he said.
