By Ebitonye Akpodigha
The Federal Government has been warned not to sell off any of the national assets as being planned.
If the government fails to heed to this call and goes ahead with the alleged plot, then it should be ready for a big showdown.
This threat was issued by one of the major associations in the oil sector in Nigeria, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).
In a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos by its Public Relations’ Officer, Mr Emmanuel Ojugbana, PENGASSAN warned that it would be forced to go on strike, crippling the oil sector, if the FG sells any of the national belongings, including the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and the three refineries in Kaduna, Warri (Delta State) and Port Harcourt (Rivers State).
Mr Ojugbana stressed that these assets should not be sold in the interest of Nigerians.
The FG is planning to sell the properties to raise funds to revive the economy, which has dipped into recession.
The suggestion for the sale of the assets was first given by Mr Aliko Dangote in an interview with CNBC Africa and was later backed by the Senate.
But Mr Ojugbana described the move as unpatriotic, warning that it would further plunged Nigeria into crisis.
“We will not watch our national assets sold, especially those in the oil and gas industry such as NLNG that has become a huge revenue earner for Nigeria; refineries and shares in the upstream oil and gas JV operations.
“Any attempt to sell these assets will be resisted as PENGASSAN will ensure that every activity in the oil and gas sector is brought to a halt,” he said in the statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
PENGASSAN urged the federal, state and local governments to generate money elsewhere to revive the economy and not sell any of the assets belonging to all Nigerians.
He argued that these assets had been generating revenue and would still generate revenue for the country.
Mr Ojugbana claimed that the planned sale was ill-timed, unwarranted and would not serve national interest, pointing out that no nation could develop, survive or feel secure after selling all national assets.
He said selling the properties would further mortgage the future of the country in the hands of few who could take advantage of it to loot the country’s wealth.
Modupe Gbadeyanka