Protesting members of the Nigerian Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association have threatened to halt oil production for 30 days.
According to them, they intend to do so if the Federal Government refuse to stop the ongoing oil theft in the Niger Delta.
Members of the union organized demonstrations in a number of cities across Nigeria, including Abuja, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt in Rivers State as well as Warri in Delta State.
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According to research, if the employees carry out their threat, Nigeria might lose nearly N1.37 trillion due to the non-production and sale of crude oil, a significant source of foreign cash.
PENGASSAN Zonal Chairman Prince Audu Osihiokhamele expressed worry that “the big men doing the business of stealing crude oil are in government” while speaking at a protest for awareness at the Delta State Governor’s Office Annexe in Warri.
He added, “They say they load vessels, but we don’t see any. Is it a needle?”
He then declared that failure by the authorities to find lasting solutions to the menace would push PENGASSAN into taking more drastic actions.
“We will shut down the country for 30 days until we all come to the round table to unravel the mysteries surrounding the thefts,” Osihiokhamele stated.
He added, “PENGASSAN will resort to shutting down production for 30 days by withdrawing members, both onshore and offshore, wherever they are producing crude, should the government fail to hearken to this warning.”
An analysis by The PUNCH showed that by shutting down oil production for 30 days, the country could lose about 30.03 million barrels of crude, valued at an estimated N1.37trn.
