The President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), who also serves as the National President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Comrade Festus Osifo, sounded a strong warning of a looming strike in the oil and gas industry to both the Nigerian government and Sterling Oil Energy Exploration and Production Company (popularly known as SIPCO). He raised concerns over the large-scale employment of Indian expatriates in positions meant for Nigerians and the silent complicity of government institutions in the ongoing violations. Osifo, while addressing journalists in Abuja last week, expressed frustration over the company’s flagrant disregard for Nigerian labour laws and regulations. CHRISTIAN APPOLOS, brings excerpts.
STERLING cannot be bigger than Nigeria
Sterling Oil Energy Exploration and Production Company has, for years, been employing thousands of Indian expatriates in violation of Nigerian labour laws and industry regulations. While international oil companies (IOCs) and indigenous producers comply with legal expatriate quotas, Sterling Oil has flagrantly ignored these laws and has continued to operate with impunity.
Currently, over 10,000 Indian nationals are occupying jobs that belong to Nigerians, ranging from middle to low-level roles such as welding, gatekeeping, cooking, and panel operations. This is happening at a time when millions of Nigerian youths remain unemployed, struggling daily to find opportunities in their own country. The situation is worsening, as every Tuesday, between 200 and 500 more Indian workers arrive in Nigeria. We are asking: Who is enabling this? Why are the Federal government authorities silent? Who is behind Sterling’s audacity to violate our laws with impunity?
Sterling oil’s management cannot be bigger than Nigeria. If IOCs like Chevron, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Oando, and Shell abide by our regulations and respect Nigerian laws, why should Sterling oil be an exception? We will not allow this exploitation to continue. Nigeria is a sovereign nation with clear labour laws, and we will ensure that these laws are respected.
Disregard for labour laws and expatriate quotas
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Act is explicit. Section 35 mandates that all operators in the oil and gas industry must employ only Nigerians in junior and intermediate positions. Section 32 allows a maximum of five percent expatriate management staff, subject to regulatory approval. Sterling Oil has disregarded both provisions, filling 100% of its management positions with Indian nationals, many of whom lack proper qualifications.
In a past legal battle, the NCDMB took Sterling Oil to court over 432 illegal expatriates. The court ruled that they must be repatriated, yet Sterling found a way to circumvent the ruling and continue business as usual. This blatant defiance raises the question: Who is protecting this company? The NCDMB itself has confirmed that it granted Sterling no more than five expatriate quota approvals between 2017 and 2023. So, who is granting them these approvals? The Ministry of Interior? But under Nigerian law, the Ministry of Interior has no legal authority to issue expatriate quotas for the oil and gas sector.
Our investigations revealed that Sterling operates over 200 to 300 different companies, using them as fronts to acquire illegal expatriate quotas. These Indian workers are falsely documented as employees in other industries, only to end up in oil and gas operations. This deception must end. No foreign company should have the power to exploit and undermine Nigerian workers in their own country.
Union-busting and the suppression of workers’ rights
Sterling’s illegalities extend beyond labour violations. In 2018, the company unjustly dismissed 18 of our members simply for demanding their rights under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Instead of addressing their grievances regarding welfare and career growth, Sterling chose to silence them through unfair dismissal.
Furthermore, Sterling has actively prevented sections of its workforce from unionising. When we reported this to the Ministry of Labour and Employment in 2022, the then Minister protected Sterling by directing the Director of Labour not to act. When the Director insisted on investigating, she was suddenly transferred. This shows that Sterling has compromised key Federal government authorities, as the company once boasted that it had Nigerian institutions “in its pocket.”
We want to make it clear: Nigerian workers will not be conquered in their own land. Sterling must obey our laws. Every worker has a fundamental right to unionise and demand better working conditions. We will not allow any company, whether local or foreign, to deny Nigerian workers these rights.
A Clear Demand: Repatriate Illegal Expatriates and Reinstate Dismissed Workers
PENGASSAN demands that all illegally employed expatriates be repatriated immediately and that Sterling hires Nigerians to fill those roles. In any other country, operations would be shut down entirely until compliance is achieved. Nigeria must not be an exception.
As of today, over 10,000 Indians are working in Sterling. The majority of them are doing middle- and low-level jobs that Nigerians should be doing. Meanwhile, Nigerians are littering the streets, struggling to find employment. These are their jobs, yet Indians have taken them over. This is an injustice that we refuse to tolerate any longer.
Our demand is very clear: all expatriates occupying Nigerian jobs must go. They must all return to their countries, and Sterling must immediately hire Nigerians to do those jobs. In other countries, production would be shut down entirely until the right thing is done. The silence of the Nigerian government on this issue is unacceptable.
Additionally, the 18 members who were dismissed for standing up to Sterling must be reinstated without delay. All manpower contract workers who have been denied their right to unionise must first be granted full employment and then allowed to join the union. The welfare of Nigerian workers in Sterling must be fully addressed.
Nationwide strike imminent if government fails to act
If the government previously claimed ignorance, they can no longer do so. We have brought this issue to the fore. The Minister of Interior has responded. The NCDMB has responded. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has invited us for discussions. Sterling must do what is right, and we are dedicated to this struggle. We believe in it, and we will see it through to the end.
If nothing is done, we will declare a nationwide strike. Remember, in the upstream operations of the oil and gas industry, 90% of those manning operations are our members. By the time we withdraw them, the entire upstream sector will be grounded.
The government must choose: Will they stand with Nigerians and enforce Nigerian laws, or will they stand with Indians and Sterling?
We have evidence and facts regarding what Sterling is doing in Nigeria. It is not our job to track down those giving them the audacity to violate the law, but it is our responsibility to push them to do what is right. We will hold them accountable.
The silence of the Nigerian government on this issue is unacceptable. The Minister of Interior has responded. The NCDMB has responded. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has invited us for discussions. We will be at that meeting to demand full compliance from Sterling.
We are fully committed to this struggle and will not back down until Sterling does what is right. If necessary, we will mobilise for a nationwide strike to defend the dignity of Nigerian workers and uphold the sovereignty of our nation.
READ ALSO: Job displacement: PENGASSAN demands sack, repatriation of 10,000 Indians in Sterling Oil
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