The workers, numbering about 200, under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), vowed to resist the privatisation.
The workers were led by the NNPC Group PENGASSAN chairman, Mr Sanusi Abdulkareem and NUPENG Group chairman, Mr Richard Otovwievwiere.
The protesters, who dressed in red shirts and caps, gathered on the premises of the NNPC singing solidarity songs and carrying placards with various inscriptions.
Otovwievwiere said the protest was symbolic because the workers had reviewed the intention of government officials and faulted the decision to privatise the refineries.
"Today, we want to report the Nigerian officials to the Nigerian people. We call on the government and members of the National Assembly to ask questions about the wisdom of privatising our national wealth.
"Workers at NNPC believe in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and his development programmes.
"We are to develop the refineries and not to sell them. Anybody who is interested in buying the refineries won't have refineries to buy. Nigerians say no," Otovwievwiere said.
On his part, Abdulkareem called on the government to rescind the decision, stressing that it would not be in the best interest of the nation.
"We are going to move round other NNPC stations to give them words of solidarity," he said.
Efforts by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), to get the views of management of NNPC proved abortive.
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, recently said the process for privatisation of the refineries would be completed before the first quarter of 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment
add your comments!