By Tina Amanda
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is urging the federal government to reduce the cost of governance if it wants to succeed in subsidy removal.
In an interview with our Correspondent, PENGASSAN Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman, Comrade George Nwoko, emphasized the need for Government officials and political officeholders to make sacrifices by relinquishing their extravagant allowances and unnecessary excesses.
Nwoko pointed out that it would be unfair for the government to expect the masses to adjust to the challenging economic situation without demonstrating leadership by making sacrifices themselves.
He said the Union is waiting for the steering committee’s report to look into the subsidy removal before deciding on the following line of action.
“We have said that the government can not be asking us to tighten our belt and then loosen theirs; they must come to the table and understand that everyone must make sacrifices, both the masses and political leaders.
“They must cut down the cost of governance; that is the first thing to be done to show they are also ready to let go of some of their extravagant allowances and so many unwarranted excesses.
“We have been trying our best to ensure the Union and other sisters Union NLC, TUC, are on the same page. We are collaborating to develop a blueprint that will cushion the effect of subsidy removal on the masses.
“The steering committee constituted to look into the palliative is broken into three categories the immediate measures, the intermediate and longtime plans. They have been given six weeks to develop a framework, so we are optimistic that the committees will submit their report in the next couple of weeks, and we will take it up from there”.
Comrade Nwoko further assured that the Union is closely monitoring the Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation progress by collaborating with the management to ensure it comes upstream by December 2023.
“The refinery is the critical element to bring down the price of premium motor spirit (PMS). If we are producing locally, it will reduce the cost of PMS.
“I can assure you, as stakeholders, we have seen the job’s progress; by the end of the year, we should evaluate where we are. We are collaborating with the Managing Director of the place and the company handling the rehabilitation. We are optimistic that by December, the refinery should come upstream.
“The Union is being carried along with the plan they have for the rehabilitation. That is why I can speak categorically. During the last inspection, I went to the refinery; they are working assiduously to ensure they meet the projected date.
“This time around, we are monitoring them closely. By the end of the year, we should see the product coming out from the refinery. We are optimistic the refinery will work; that has been our commitment”.
He also called on the government to make Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) available to rural communities across the state and country.
“The issue of making available LPG to rural communities has not been done or given much attention. The increase in PMS and other petroleum products will make people use LPG.
“There is a need to invest hugely in that sector to ensure distribution and access to the products is made available to the rural communities; that is the area the Union is looking into to ensure the product availability in rural areas, to reduce the dependence on kerosene (DPK) and other scare products.
“It is our prayer that government will look into it and ensure LPG is made available to all low-income earners in the country”.
