Rather than providing leadership at a time of crisis, Festus Osifo, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has responded with disturbing silence ignoring calls for reconciliation and pushing the NMDPRA union further to the brink.
Read Also: Abuja-Kaduna Train: A Journey of Neglect, Disrespect, Discomfort
The crisis rocking the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) union has lingered for too long, becoming a case study in neglect, high-handedness, and internal sabotage within labour leadership. At a time when unity and institutional protection are needed most, the very leadership meant to champion workers’ rights is deepening their wounds.
The NMDPRA union, made up of committed workers within Nigeria’s vital petroleum regulatory space, has been struggling to establish its identity, assert its autonomy, and be given the same protection other unions under PENGASSAN enjoy. However, instead of support, the union has faced systematic suppression and fingers point squarely at Osifo’s office.
Multiple reports indicate that genuine efforts by the NMDPRA union to regularize its operations, elect leadership, and engage with stakeholders have been frustrated by Osifo’s refusal to recognize or engage constructively with the group. Several meetings and appeals aimed at resolving the impasse have been met with silence, delay tactics, or outright hostility from the national leadership of PENGASSAN.
This nonchalance bordering on calculated sabotage, raises serious concerns about the direction of labour unionism in Nigeria. At the heart of any union should be the freedom to organize and be represented without fear or intimidation. Yet in this case, a union within a federal government agency is being made to crawl for its survival, not by government repression but by a fellow labour leader.
If Osifo is not acting out of personal bias or fear of losing control, then why has he failed to demonstrate any urgency in resolving the crisis? Why has he continued to stifle a union that meets all legal requirements to exist and function?
The result of this leadership failure is a toxic atmosphere within NMDPRA an environment where workers are left to fend for themselves, where uncertainty thrives, and where morale is dangerously low. A union is supposed to be a voice for the voiceless; in this case, that voice is being gagged from within.
Worse still, Osifo’s posture sends a dangerous message: that some unions are more equal than others. This two-tier approach to labour representation is not only undemocratic but also unsustainable. If the NMDPRA union is allowed to be suppressed today, what stops the same fate from befalling other emerging unions tomorrow?
Read Also:NMDPRA seals 14 fuel stations for selling above stipulated price in Kano
It is important to recall that PENGASSAN was built on the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of workers who fought to protect their dignity in a volatile industry. That same legacy is being threatened by the dictatorial tendencies and cold indifference now displayed by its top leadership.
But the NMDPRA union is not giving up. Despite the odds, its members remain resilient, unified by a shared belief that their cause is just. They are not seeking special privileges only fairness, recognition, and the right to function as an independent affiliate within the larger labour framework.
Calls are now growing louder for the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), to wade into the matter and ensure that Osifo does not continue to act with deafening silence.
It is in the interest of the Nigerian labour movement to resolve this crisis swiftly before it degenerates further or sets a dangerous precedent.
Unionism in Nigeria has never been perfect, but it has often been a bulwark against exploitation. When that bulwark begins to crack from within, it is not just the workers that suffer the entire system risks collapse.
It is not too late for Osifo to redeem himself. Leadership is not about ego, but empathy. It is about listening, not silencing. And most of all, it is about healing divisions, not deepening them.
The NMDPRA union deserves better. The workers who uphold Nigeria’s petroleum regulatory framework deserve protection, not persecution. If PENGASSAN fails to rise to the occasion, then perhaps it is time to question whether it still has the moral authority to lead.
In a democracy, no union should be made to beg for survival. And no leader should be allowed to watch a crisis grow under his nose and do nothing.
