MIRIAM NNOLI 
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has assured Nigerians that its proposed strike, scheduled for Monday, September 29, will not lead to petrol scarcity.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that the union had directed its members nationwide to withdraw their services over the alleged mass dismissal of Nigerian workers by the Dangote Refinery.
Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday night, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, relieved of the fear of fuel scarcity but confirmed that the union had shut down gas supply to the refineries.
“I want us to disaggregate what the effect would be. The effect, as of today, as of tomorrow, even by next weekend, is not going to dovetail into Nigerians queuing to buy PMS. It won’t dovetail into that.”
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“Yes, as we speak, we have cut the supply of gas to the refineries, the fertilisers, and all that. Yes, we have done that because if someone says he is crazy, we are going to tell him that we are the goose that laid the golden egg — that we are much crazier,” he said.
Osifo also confirmed the invitation by the Federal Government for a conciliatory meeting with the Dangote Refinery.
He said the union would attend Monday’s meeting but maintained that PENGASSAN’s position remains the total recall of workers sacked by the Dangote Refinery.
Osifo urged the Nigerian government to call Dangote to order and make the company understand that Nigeria is not a banana republic.
“We have been called to a meeting tomorrow in the Federal Ministry of Labour and we are going to attend that meeting,” he said.
“Our position is very clear, you cannot send close to 1000 Nigerians to the streets like that because they are exercising their rights to unionise.”
