The Benue State Government has called on the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and its affiliate unions to halt its ongoing three-day warning strike and resume the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs. Deborah Aber, stated this on Tuesday in Makurdi, describing the strike action as “uncalled for.”
According to Mrs. Aber, the government received a letter from NUPENG requesting payment of over N40 million as compensation for a vandalized PMS tank in Aliade, Gwer-East Local Government, in 2022.
She disclosed that the incident involved the loss of 45,000 liters of PMS stolen by hoodlums. “The government responded by writing to the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to obtain details of the incident
“NUPENG also wrote to the government. In the letter, they were asking for payment for their 45,000 litres of PMS they lost through the activities of vandals in 2022 at Aliade. They were claiming payment of over N40m for the loss of their goods in 2022.”
“We needed to sit down and look at the whole scenario and how it played out. To us, it seemed like a straightforward case of theft and vandalism, with no government involvement.”
“We have held several meetings with them. Surprisingly, we woke up today to find that the stations were locked. The government too is surprised because we are still at the discussion table.”
NUPENG, along with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), began a three-day warning strike on Tuesday, shutting down all filling stations in Benue. Investigation reveals that the strike was in demand for payment for the 45,000 liters of fuel lost to hoodlums in Aliade in 2022.
At the time of filing this report, all attempts to get comments from union officials about the strike were unsuccessful.
