As planned, members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), on Thursday, besieged the Delta State Government Office Annexe in Warri to register their misgivings over the menace of oil theft in the country.
The protesters as early as 8:00a.m gathered at the Governor’s Office complex armed with placards bearing varying inscriptions mostly condemning the menace.
They called on the government to take urgent proactive measures to curb the menace which they claimed had virtually crumbled Nigeria’s economy.
The PENGASSAN zonal chairman, Prince Audu Osihiokhamele, spoke to journalists during the protest and rally.
He alleged that “the big men doing the business of crude oil theft are in government.
“They say they load vessels, but we don’t see any. Is it a needle?”
According to him, the failure of the authorities to find lasting solutions to the menace will push PENGASSAN into taking more drastic actions.
“We will shut down the country for 30 days until we all come to the roundtable to unravel the mysteries surrounding the thefts,” he vowed.
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Also speaking, Prince Emea Okorie, PENGASSAN Group chairman, NNPC Ltd, Warri, lamented that Nigeria could no longer meet its OPEC target of 1.8million barrels per day.
He said that the country is “presently struggling to meet 1 million barrels per day, due to theft.”
Mrs Violet Onowakpokpo, the Director, Governor’s Office Annexe Warri, while addressing the gathering, said that the protest was a noble course.
She commended the protesters for their patriotic and peaceful disposition, noting that the issue at stake affects everybody.
Onowakpokpo stressed that the struggle must continue until there is an enduring change of heart and peace in the sector.
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