By Ejiofor Alike and Linda Eroke in Lagos and Onyebuchi Ezigbo

After leading a strike in January against the removal of the subsidy on petrol and being at the forefront for the probe of the wide-scale fraud and mismanagement of the subsidy scheme, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) shockingly reversed itself yesterday by supporting the threat by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to embark on a nationwide strike over the non-payment of subsidy claims to indicted oil marketers.

NUPENG had issued an ultimate to the Federal Government on Monday, threatening to go on strike by Friday if the government fails to pay outstanding subsidy claims to oil marketing and trading companies (OM&Ts).

The union’s refusal to lift petrol from depots has resulted in crippling fuel scarcity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the last one week.

But NUPENG’s threat is believed to have been influenced by a core of oil marketers indicted by the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede presidential committee and wants to tie the hands of government to avoid prosecution, as canvassed by civil society groups and labour during the fuel subsidy strike.

Labour’s new position is a blatant turnaround, said analysts last nights, who fear that a crippling nationwide strike could pave the way for the indicted oil marketers to escape prosecution.

However, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has distanced itself from the NUPENG ultimatum to embark on the strike, stating that NUPENG cannot speak on its behalf.

The NLC’s position is also coming against the backdrop of a letter written by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, to President Goodluck Jonathan clarifying that 25 oil marketing firms were actually indicted by his committee that verified the payments and arrears of the 2011 subsidy claims and not 21 companies.

The NLC, which had clamoured for the probe of the subsidy scheme, expressed support for NUPENG's action, which presidency sources have described as an open endorsement of oil subsidy fraudsters.

The NLC said NUPENG is fighting a genuine course, adding that it would not interfere in its quest to protect the interest of workers in the oil and gas industry.

NLC Acting General Secretary, Comrade Chris Uyot, said the congress was in total support of NUPENG’s demand for transparency in the payment of subsidy claims to oil marketers.

He said the union had briefed the NLC leadership on the steps taken so far to address the issue, adding that the only way to resolve the crisis is for government to ensure transparency in the importation of petroleum products.
He called on government to meet the union’s demands in the interest of industrial peace and harmony.

“Our affiliate has briefed us on the current issue in the sector and has issued a strike notice. We cannot tell them not to go on strike because they have the right to embark on an industrial action and we respect that right.

“We can only appeal to government to embrace dialogue as the only option to resolve the issues of subsidy claims in the sector,” he said.

In a bid to stave off the strike, the president had directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to relocate to Lagos during the Eid-el-Fir break to hold meetings with oil marketers to resolve outstanding issues delaying the payment of subsidy claims.
As part of the efforts to prevent the strike, the Federal Government will also meet today with the NUPENG leadership over their threat.

The meeting, scheduled to hold in Abuja, will be chaired by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.

Acting General Secretary of NUPENG, Comrade Isaac Aberare, who confirmed today’s meeting, said the outcome of the meeting would be communicated to Nigerians.

He said there was no meeting with Okonjo-Iweala or oil marketers yesterday on the strike notice issued by the union.

NUPENG President, Comrade Igwe Achese, while announcing the union’s determination to go on strike if the marketers with outstanding claims are not paid by Friday, expressed displeasure over the failure by the Federal Government to implement its own part of the collective bargaining agreement on the payment of subsidy claims.

He said: “It is against this backdrop that we call on the Minister of Finance to pay all outstanding payments to NNPC and the private depot owners, who are being asked by the same government to import fuel.

“We state that failure of the minister to meet the NNPC and marketers’ payment obligations is a ploy to create hardship for Nigerians.”

However, NNPC has distanced itself from Achese’s statement, saying that NUPENG was not speaking on its behalf.

Speaking to THISDAY last night, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, said the NUPENG chapter of NNPC never sanctioned the threat and ultimatum by the national union.

He said NUPENG had no right to speak on behalf of NNPC and that the corporation’s members had no intention of embarking on strike.

But the threat of a nationwide strike by NUPENG has prompted the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to call on the Federal Government and oil workers to find a common ground in a bid to end the crisis to save Nigerians needless agony.

The ANPP and CPC in separate statements yesterday expressed concern that with the looming threat of a nationwide strike by NUPENG and the electricity workers backed by the NLC, the country may be in for more difficult times if nothing is done to arrest the situation.

CPC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said the Federal Government and the agitating marketers should find a more amicable way to settle their differences rather than cause further hardship for innocent Nigerians.

“It is like payback time for the Federal Government and the marketers. The oil marketers had connived with government officials in ripping off the country of billions of naira,” he said.

ANPP's National Publicity Secretary, Chief Emma Eneukwu, also expressed the party's concern over the perceived indifference by both parties to the dispute.

He said what was more worrisome was the threat by NUPENG to further extend the strike nationwide should the Federal Government fail to effect payments of outstanding subsidy monies to fuel importers and depot owners.

Meanwhile, Aig-Imoukhuede has written to the president clarifying that 25 oil marketing companies were actually indicted by his committee that verified the payments and arrears of the 2011 subsidy claims and not 21 companies.

Confirming the error last night, the finance minister’s Special Adviser, Media, Paul Nwabuikwu, said that the Aig-Imoukhuede presidential committee had indicted 25 oil marketers for grievous infractions and recommended them for investigation by the law enforcement agencies, and not 21 companies.

The letter, which was written through Okonjo-Iweala, has confirmed THISDAY’s exclusive report on Friday, July 27 that 25 companies were recommended for criminal investigation by the Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Subsidy Payments and not 21 as announced earlier.

The committee, which was headed by Aig-Imoukhuede, had during the submission of its report on Tuesday, July 24, erroneously announced that 21 companies were indicted in the report.
But THISDAY’s investigation revealed that the number of companies indicted and classified as “likely fraudulent cases for criminal investigation” was actually 25.

However, the Federal Ministry of Finance in an advertorial published in some newspapers on Friday, August 17, as well as a press statement the next day, again inadvertently listed 21 companies as having been indicted, a development that prompted Aig-Imoukhuede’s letter to the president.

Titled: “Clarification on Number of OM&Ts Recommended for Criminal Investigation”, Aig-Imoukhuede’s letter to the president, which was obtained exclusively by THISDAY from presidency sources, listed 25 companies as reported by THISDAY last month.

“We write to clarify that the number of likely fraudulent cases for criminal investigations contained in the Presidential Committee report on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payment identified 25 OM&Ts and not 21 as inadvertently stated in the summing up of the infractions.

“Please find below the extract of the report detailing the cases against the Twenty-Five (25) OM&Ts,” the letter reads.

President Goodluck Jonathan had set up the verification and reconciliation committee last July to verify and reconcile the report of the technical committee, also headed by Aig-Imoukhuede, which was set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance in May to verify all claims and payments made to marketers in 2011.

In the report of the technical committee, scores of marketers and importers were alleged to have committed 17 infractions that cost the country N422,542,937,668.59 in overpayments.

However, after the N422 billion was subjected to reconciliation and verification by the presidential committee, N18 billion was found to have been duplicated, while N21 billion was cleared from the report of the technical committee, bringing down the overpayments to N382,018,250,982.52.

The 25 indicted companies whose identities were made known exclusively to THISDAY by presidency sources before the committee’s report was made public, would be investigated for their alleged involvement in the N62,501,511,789.24 fraudulently obtained through the subsidy scheme out of the N382 billion comprising other minor infractions committed by marketers.

The indicted companies include Alminnur Resources Limited, Brila Energy Limited; Caades Oil and Gas Limited, Capital Oil and Gas Industry Limited and Capital Oil Plc. It is suspected that Capital Oil and Gas Industry Limited and Capital Oil Plc are one and same company.

Others are Ceoti Limited, Conoil Plc, Downstream Energy Source Limited, Eterna Oil Plc, Eurafic Oil and Gas Limited, Heyden Petroleum, Lumen Skies Limited, Majope Investment Limited, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Matrix Energy Limited, Menol Oil and Gas Limited, MOB International Services Limited and MRS Oil and Gas Plc.

Also, Nasaman Oil Services Limited, Naticel Petroleum Limited, Ocean Energy Trading and Services Limited, Pinnacle Contractors Limited, Sifax Oil and Gas Limited, Tonique Oil Services Limited and Top Oil and Gas Development Company Limited were included in the list of 25 marketers.




http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/in-a-u-turn-on-subsidy-fraud-nlc-backs-nupeng-strike/122915/

The hypocrisy of the so called NLC, the opposition parties and the civil rights activist is being laid bare for all to see. The indicted oil marketers are using the leadership of NUPENG to armtwist the govt into not prosecuting the oil thieves and the so called activist are no where to be found. SMH