*Protesting Pan Ocean workers disrupt traffic along Oghara-Benin Expressway
OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN have threatened to shut down oil facilities operated by Pan Ocean Oil Limited in Edo state.
According to a joint statement signed by PENGASSAN Chairman, Comrade Rex Aibangbee and his NUPENG counterpart, Comrade Aboy Udi, they maintained that nothing will stop the members from executing the shutting down of the facilities of the acquired company by NNPC.
“We are shutting down the Benin Operations Base Office of the company situated at KM 10 Sapele Road, Benin City, and the Ovade -Ogharefe Gas Plant/Flow station, OML-98 facilities by midnight Monday (Today) if our demands are not met”, they said in the statement.
The labour unions noted that their members will commence the total shutdown of operations in Pan Ocean Oil in Benin, Edo State, and Ogharaefe in Delta state to protest the non-payment of their severance benefits and other entitlements.
They vowed to shut down the operations of the company by Monday midnight following non-payment of their severance benefits by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
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According to them, the plights of their employees since the takeover of the company by Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, following the revocation and handover of the OML-98 acreage to NPDC has worsened.
The threat comes in the wake of recent acquisition of Pan Ocean’s assets by Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON.
Other reasons stated by the workers include employees Roll Over, legacy payment of PAYE tax and contributory pensions of over 33 months after deducting same from their salaries over the years by Pan Ocean Oil Limited.
