By Deborah Bodunde

President Bola Tinubu has assured members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) that the federal government is determined to rebuild the economy and Nigerians will benefit from his administration’s economic reforms. 

Speaking on Thursday when the leadership of NUPENG, led by Salimon Oladiti, the union’s president, paid a courtesy visit to him at the presidential villa in Abuja, Tinubu commended the organisation for its cooperation with his administration, describing the union as a “very critical nerve” of the Nigerian economy.

Tinubu recalled his engagement with the union about fuel subsidy before assuming office at a meeting in Lagos.

He said the decision was necessary to prevent further distortion of the economy and redirect government resources towards projects that would deliver long-term value to Nigerians.

The president said the federal government would soon publish details of how funds saved from subsidy removal had been utilised.

Tinubu rejected claims that the reforms were targeted at ordinary Nigerians, saying the benefits of a restructured economy would eventually reach workers, families and businesses.

“Are they not common men and women receiving salary regularly at the state level?” he asked.

“Are they not common men and women? The ordinary people receiving salary at the federal government regularly, and it affects all the market women around us, including your wives.”

He described the reforms as a process of “financial reengineering and reset”, saying the government was laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth.

TINUBU SEEKS CNG BENEFITS FOR COMMUTERS

The president also urged petroleum transport operators to ensure that the benefits of the federal government’s compressed natural gas (CNG) initiative are passed on to commuters.

Tinubu expressed concern that the savings from CNG had not been passed down quickly enough to Nigerians.

“I will appeal to you. We will do more. We will encourage you, but ask your drivers to let it trickle to the commuters too,” he said.

“Whatever benefit that is coming from CNG is going into the pocket of truck owners, it’s not spreading as fast as I would like it, but it should spread.”

Tinubu said his administration is committed to restoring refineries to productive capacity and ensuring their profitability.

“The refineries that you mentioned is going to come back to work,” he said.

“Ordinary flame and smoke of refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it is profitable and yields the value for which it is built.”

The president said he had accepted responsibility for the “assets and liabilities” inherited from previous administrations and would focus on fixing the country’s challenges.

“It’s my responsibility now as the president to fix it, make it work for the largest common value of our population. I take responsibility for that, and I’m going to do it,” he said.

Tinubu also cited ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna and Abuja-Kano roads, as well as the Sokoto-Badagry corridor, as investments aimed at improving economic activity and public safety.

Oladiti appealed to Tinubu to intervene in the persistent casualisation of workers in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, particularly in the upstream sector.

He described the practice as “unhealthy” and said engagements with some oil companies had failed to resolve the issue.

Oladiti said NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had tolerated the practice because industrial action in the strategic oil and gas sector could have severe consequences for the economy.

“For a sector that is strategic and taken as the economic jugular of the nation, NUPENG and its counterpart, PENGASSAN, have been tolerating these unwholesome practices, knowing full well the enormous disruption that any industrial action could cause to the economy,” he said.

“We have engaged the management of some of the affected companies without results. Mr. President, we urge you to use your good offices to stop casualisation of workers in our sector.”

The NUPENG president commended the federal government for the rehabilitation and dualisation of federal highways.

He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway as examples of major projects that could improve transportation and reduce accidents.

“For our members, a good road is the difference between arriving home safely and never arriving at all,” Oladiti said.

“Every stretch of highway rehabilitated or constructed means fewer accidents, fewer spillages, fewer lives lost, and lesser stress for the men behind the wheel.”

He also asked the government to extend its refinery rehabilitation efforts to the ageing depots operated by the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC).

Oladiti proposed that the depots be handed over to private investors under an equity arrangement to restore their functionality.

He urged the president to promote grassroots development by ensuring that state governments comply with the supreme court judgement affirming financial autonomy for local governments.

Responding, Tinubu urged Nigerians and organised labour to remain committed to democracy and the reform process.

“Democracy is about celebration of freedom and opportunity that must be cherished by all of us,” the president said.

“It’s not easy to manage a democratic regime full of twists and turns, hills and valleys, and all of that. But it’s through perseverance, endurance, and good determination that we can bring about the relief of a newborn baby in a pregnancy. I will promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria.”

Source: TheCable