TUC threatens to oppose sale of refineries

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke

The Trade Union Congress has threatened to oppose the planned sale of four refineries unless the Federal Government was able to convince Nigerians on the viability of the plan.

President of the Trade Union Congress, Boboi Kaigama, said this in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, in Abuja, on Friday.

He was responding to questions on the proposed sale of four of Nigeria’s refineries by the Federal Government.

Minister of Petroleum, Dieziani Allison- Maduekwe, had announced that the Federal Government was planning to sell the refineries by the first quarter of 2014 because of their abysmal performance.

The affected refineries are those located in: Warri, Kaduna and the Port Harcourt Refinery 1 and 2.

According to the TUC President, said that the Federal Government was talking of selling or privatising the refineries when other members of the Organisation of Petroleum Countries were building refineries and running then effectively.

Kaigama said Nigeria was the only OPEC member country that was taking such a decision to sell off its refineries.

He said that the Federal Government had a responsibility to convince Nigerians and the organized labour on the issue of the planned sale of the refineries.

The labour leader further argued that issues such as the plight of workers of the refineries, the price of refined products to Nigerians must be effectively addressed.

Kaigama said, “What we are saying is not the issue of selling the refineries.

“Other countries are building and maintaining refineries, what are you selling them to achieve?

“Is it to privatise them, what becomes of the workers and the assets? What becomes of the people whose land produces the oil? Are you going to sell to them as if Nigeria is not producing oil?

“Which of the OPEC countries will sell their refineries now? It is a development that workers will not accept just like that.

He said that while the organised labour was not averse to change, it would not be proper for change to be imposed on them.