The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) says it may embark on nationwide industrial action over the attack on members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) protesting in Kaduna state.
Should NUPENG proceed on a strike, it will affect the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.
The union in a statement by its national president, Williams Akporeha, said it had received a report of a clandestine move by Governor el-Rufai to put the lives of the President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, and other labour leaders at risk.
“NUPENG, therefore, warns that if any harm is inflicted on any of the members of the organised labour, the leadership of the union will not hesitate to call on all our members throughout the nation for a total shutdown of all our services in the upstream, mid-stream, downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.”
“In the light of the above, we are therefore putting all NUPENG members nationwide on red alert and may at very short notice of five hours call for a nationwide industrial action if situation arises.”
The NUPENG president added that their solidarity with the NLC remains constant as it “makes us strong.”
The union already shut all fuel depots and filling stations in Kaduna over the strike.
El-Rufai and the organised labour have been at loggerheads over the sacking of civil servants in the state.
The governor is reported to have sacked over 60,000 workers since he became governor in 2015.
On Tuesday the state government announced the sacking of lecturers of the Kaduna State University (KASU) and all nurses below Grade Level 14 for joining what it called illegal strike organised by the NLC.
