Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South has called on President Bola Tinubu to consider dissolving the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), accusing the union of prioritising private interests over the public good.

The call comes amidst a tense situation where PENGASSAN has directed its members to strike nationwide, protesting Dangote Refinery's dismissal of over 800 workers.

The refinery claims the strike is a tactic to inflict hardship on ordinary Nigerians. Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television program, Ndume expressed his longstanding opposition to unions that serve the interests of a few rather than the nation, criticising what he calls "so-called unionism" that neglects the wider public.

“This PENGASSAN is supposed to serve the interest of Nigerians, and their profession has to do with petroleum product that affects everything,” the lawmaker said.

“This is Nigeria, which is supposed to be a free country. You can’t force someone to be in the union.”

The senator criticised the union for trying to “impose demands” on the Dangote refinery.

“Dangote is a private businessman who established a refinery. You can’t come and impose anything on a private individual. If you want to be a union, then stay out of Dangote,” he said.

Senator Ndume criticised PENGASSAN for exerting excessive control over Nigeria's oil and gas resources, accusing the union of holding the nation hostage rather than representing the interests of workers. He also questioned why the union remained silent during pivotal times in the oil industry.

“They are just workers. How can they be asking for more than the owners?” he asked.

“Where were they when the subsidy was removed and the fuel price rose to N1000? Where were they when the refineries stopped working and we were depending on imports?”.

He urged Tinubu to take firm action and dissolve the union.

“The best thing is for the president to sign an executive order calling them off. He has the right to dissolve them. In this case, I don’t mind if he acts like a dictator because some situations require very drastic measures,” he said.

ASA