I’ll sign PIB into law, Buhari assures oil workers

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured workers in the oil and
gas industry of his commitment to ensuring a conducive working
environment for them, saying he will accelerate the process of
signing into the law the Petroleum Industries Bill once it is
passed into law by the National Assembly.

The President, who spoke through the Minister of Labour and
Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, at the 40th anniversary
celebration of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
(NUPENG) in Abuja, said his government was committed to the welfare
of workers.

He added that he will do everything possible to ensure a
conducive working environment for them.

The President also reminded them of his government’s stance on
constitutionality, saying he would always uphold the Nigerian
constitution, especially section 40 which guarantee freedom of
association and freedom to form unions.

He emphasised the need for dialogue in dealings with employers,
saying: “There can be no employers without employees and there can
be no employees without employers. So, you need each other’s always
and must, therefore, work together for the common good of all.”

NUPENG President Comrade Williams Akporeha said despite
challenges and obstacles, workers solidarity remains ever constant
like the northern star.

He added: “Our resolve is unshaken, our unity unruffled,
integrity intact and we remain indomitable and irrepressible as any
industrial union will ever dream to be. In the light of these, we
deserve to celebrate and felicitate together, and this we are here
to do today.

“However, one major hydra-headed monster we have been
confronting for over two decades now is the titanic struggle
against casualisation and indecent employment in the Nigeria oil
and gas industry.”

He said NUPENG has in the last four decades consistently and
creditably contributed to the growth of the Nigeria Oil and Gas
Industry and the enthronement of industrial peace and harmony has
also positively impacted on the socio-political and economic growth
of the nation.

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