Buhari Must End Importation Of Petroleum Products As Soon As Possible – NUPENG

Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has set an agenda for the incoming government of General Muhammadu Buhari in the Petroleum industry, saying the government must end importation of petroleum products within a record time.

NUPENG president, Igwe Achese, who said this at a briefing in Lagos, yesterday, noted that the incoming government must also ensure the nation’s pipelines are safe from vandalisation to reduce the haulage of products by roads.

Among the expectations of NUPENG from the incoming government, according to Achese include: “government must ensure job security in the sector, as the cardinal programme of the party is job creation. The four refineries must be rehabilitated and new ones established to end or reduce massive importation of petroleum products into the country.

“Government must also protect the nation’s pipelines from vandals because if the pipelines are effectively protected, with public depots scattered across the country, products will move through the pipelines to all the major depots across the country. This will reduce the pressures on our roads with its consequences such as road accidents and gridlocks especially in Lagos that has been creating untold hardships for citizens. Again, without the safety of the pipelines, crude cannot even get to refineries such as the Kaduna refineries. The government must also rehabilitate and expand all the access roads to the refineries,” Achese said.

NUPENG also urged the outgoing National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) before its tenure elapsed in June.