The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG says any deregulation in the petroleum sector that is still dependent on importation of oil would affect the economy negatively.
The Union’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale said the position of the NUPENG had always been that the government should fix the refineries to be up and running before deregulation, if not it will have negative impact on the nation’s economy.
On its part, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN has described the subsidy removal on petroleum products as a right step in a right direction, but added that it was not workable.
The union’s Spokesman Fortune Obi also agreed with Olawale that the removal of the subsidy could have been sustainable if the country’s refineries were working, arguing that it is difficult to control the price of what one did not produce.
He added that the removal of the subsidy is a right step in a right direction, but government must fix the refineries.
