The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Monday shut down entrances into the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Speaking to The Nation, NMDPRA PENGASSAN Chairman, Comrade Tony Iziogba, said the industrial action was in protest of alleged anti-labour practices at Dangote Refinery. He alleged that the refinery recently laid off more than 800 workers for unionizing.
Confirming the disruption, NUPRC spokesperson, Mr. Eniola Akinkuotu, told The Nation that staff were prevented from entering their offices.
“They didn’t allow us to enter today,” he said.
The protest also had ripple effects on power supply. A shutdown in gas delivery reportedly affected electricity generation and distribution nationwide.
As of 9:00 a.m., the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) supplied only 2,698MW to the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos). Out of 26 electricity Generation Companies (GenCos), just 14 were operational, generating a total of 3,092.41MW.
Meanwhile, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) pump prices remained unchanged at the time of filing this report.
