0
ABUJA – The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has assured stakeholders that Nigeria’s oil and gas production remains unaffected despite an indefinite strike embarked upon by workers of the commission under the umbrella of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
The industrial action, which commenced on Monday, reportedly disrupted administrative operations at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja and field offices across the country following a dispute over foreign training programmes for staff.
Responding to concerns over the strike, the Head of Media and Strategic Communications at NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, said the disruption was limited to some administrative functions and had not impacted the nation’s oil and gas production activities.
“It is true that some administrative activities were affected today due to industrial action taken by the unions. However, this has not in any way impacted activities in oil and gas facilities or production in general,” Akinkuotu said.
He added that the commission’s leadership had already opened discussions with the unions to resolve the dispute and restore normal operations.
“The top management of the commission is meeting with the unions in order to put an end to the strike and ultimately restore normalcy,” he stated.
Earlier, workers of the commission had shut down operations nationwide after negotiations with management reportedly broke down over issues relating to overseas training opportunities.
Sources within the commission said the disagreement centred on management’s decision to prioritise local training programmes over foreign capacity-building initiatives.
According to the sources, the commission argued that conducting specialised training within Nigeria would help reduce costs while strengthening domestic institutional capacity.
A staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that offices of the commission across the country were affected by the industrial action.
“We shut down the headquarters and the field offices of the commission across the country over a dispute concerning foreign training programmes,” the source said.
The worker explained that management had insisted that training programmes, including those linked to Factory Acceptance Tests for Positive Displacement (PD) Meters, should be conducted locally rather than overseas. The position, he said, was rejected by employees, leading to the strike.
The development has raised concerns within the industry over the potential impact of prolonged labour unrest on regulatory activities.
However, the commission’s assurance that upstream operations and crude oil production remain unaffected is expected to calm fears among investors and operators while negotiations continue between management and the union.
