Key points
- NUPRC says oil and gas production remains unaffected despite an ongoing nationwide strike by workers.
- PENGASSAN members shut down NUPRC offices over disagreements concerning foreign training opportunities.
- Management and labour unions are currently in talks to resolve the dispute and restore normal operations.
Main story
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has assured stakeholders that Nigeria’s oil and gas production remains stable despite the ongoing nationwide strike by workers, which has disrupted administrative activities across the commission’s offices.
The industrial action, led by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), saw workers block access to the commission’s headquarters and other offices in protest against alleged irregularities in the allocation of foreign training opportunities.
Speaking on the development on Monday, the Head of Corporate Communications and Media at NUPRC, Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, said while administrative functions had been affected by the strike, critical regulatory operations and production activities in the oil and gas sector remained fully operational.
According to him, “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 added that the commission’s management had commenced engagements with labour representatives to address the concerns raised by workers and bring the industrial action to an end.
“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 said.
The issues
The dispute reportedly stems from disagreements over training policies within the commission. Sources familiar with the matter said negotiations between management and workers broke down after the commission opted to prioritise local training programmes over overseas capacity-building initiatives.
According to insiders, the management argued that conducting specialised training within Nigeria would significantly reduce costs while strengthening domestic institutional capacity and expertise.
A staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that management had insisted that specialised programmes, including training associated with Factory Acceptance Tests for Positive Displacement (PD) Meters, should be conducted locally rather than abroad.
What’s being said
While management maintains that the local training approach aligns with cost-efficiency and national capacity-building objectives, workers have rejected the proposal, insisting on the continuation of foreign training opportunities.
The disagreement prompted employees to embark on an indefinite strike, effectively shutting down administrative operations at NUPRC offices nationwide.
What’s next
Stakeholders are closely monitoring ongoing negotiations between NUPRC management and PENGASSAN. A resolution is expected in the coming days as both parties seek common ground on training policies and employee welfare concerns.
Bottom line
Although the strike has disrupted administrative activities within the NUPRC, the commission insists that regulatory oversight, field monitoring, and Nigeria’s oil and gas production operations remain unaffected. The outcome of ongoing talks between management and workers will determine how quickly normal administrative services resume.
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