PENGASSAN dissolves branch exco for failing to cut off gas supply to Dangote refinery – Report

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has dissolved the branch executive councils of the Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company Ltd (NGIC) and the NNPC Gas Marketing Limited (NGML).

The dissolution followed the “inability” of the executives to completely shut down gas supply to Dangote refinery during the association’s strike.

The development, detailed in a report seen by TheCable on Monday, is the latest on the internal crisis of PENGASSAN.

On September 28, PENGASSAN commenced a nationwide strike, asking its members to reduce gas production and supply to Dangote refinery.

In the report, the NGIC/NGML congress members appealed to the national leadership of the association to “reconsider its decision to dissolve the leadership of NGIC/NGML Branch”.

They also asked the national leadership to “kindly drop the allegations of collusion and acceptance of monetary gifts from NGIC/NGML Management to prevent the shutdown”.

“These allegations are serious and if continued to be spread may taint the image of the executives and calls into question their integrity,” the group said.

“If there is evidence of sabotage beyond our line of sight as a congress, to suggest that dissolution of the branch be instituted, then we appeal that fair hearing be granted to the comrades to either clear their names or be found guilty with evidence.”

The congress argued that the reward for an unsuccessful struggle should not “be dissolution, but correction and re-strategize for future success”.

‘WHY WE COULDN’T TOTALLY SHUT DOWN GAS SUPPLY TO DANGOTE REFINERY’

The group explained that while they attempted to completely shut down the gas supply to the refinery, they were only able to close a few valves.

“It is also important to state that, at no point did the branch executives tell anyone that Dangote has been shut down 100%, they only said they have shut down some valves along the line and the inlet from OB3 to the line through Oben, and they hope the pressure will drop after few hours and Dangote will come down, all of which didn’t work out as they had expected,” the report reads.

“We note that whoever informed the national president that gas supply to Dangote refinery was cut-off had done so in haste to give good news, and impatient to wait for the outcome of the actions our comrades from NGIC took.”

The congress members said their branch leadership had done more than enough to carry out the directives of the national body, even at the risk of their own safety.

They said the leadership went as far as undertaking actions that management described as “unprecedented in the history of NGIC/NGML,” including the shutdown of facilities and damage to assets.

‘WE’VE NEVER SHUT DOWN CUSTOMER OPERATIONS IN A STRIKE ACTION’

The group noted that the NGIC/NGML PENGASSAN had never previously shut down any customer operations during a strike action.

According to the members, the branch recorded some successes despite being constrained by the continued injection of gas “from producers to the ELPS and the heavy presence of military personnel which usually outnumber them”.

They said the actions taken by their leaders left no room for suspicion of any collusion with the NGIC management to undermine the national struggle against Dangote.

The congress members insisted that allegations of receiving incentives, conniving with management, or engaging in sabotage were baseless, unsupported by evidence, and failed to reflect the leadership’s substantial contributions to the struggle.

They warned that if such allegations and decisions persisted, it could discourage many members who had stood firmly in solidarity during the industrial action. (The Cable)