Members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG), and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), joint group executive councils of the NNPC, have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike if after 14 days the Federal Government fails to reverse the proposed sale of the Pipeline Products Marketing Company (PPMC), and the National Gas Company (NGC).

The unions also called for the immediate reversal of the sale of the Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (ECPL), which was sold by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), below its original value.

At a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, the workers' union want the Federal Government to immediately prevail on the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to remit the N3.5 billion proceeds from the sales of the properties of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Pension Fund limited to her account. The two unions disclosed that the estate was valued at N7 billion, but was sold at N3.5 billion and yet the money could not be remitted to the fund.

They also demanded for immediate sack of the Director General of the BPE, Mrs. Irene Chigbue for the low integrity score card of the Bureau in previous privatisation transactions. Both unions declared that at the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum, and nothing concrete on ground in terms of written agreement by the Federal Government addressing those issues, they would embark on a nationwide industrial action. Addressing newsmen, the Group Chairman of PENGASSAN, John Elibe wondered why the BPE should generate anxiety in the industry through the pronouncement on the proposed sale which contradicts the Oil and Gas Implementation Committee report already with the National Assembly.

According to the unions, the EPCL was also valued at the cost of $1.8 billion but was sold at the cheap price of $125 million and yet the buyer could not pay the money at once. They claimed that the buyer paid the Federal Government from the money realised from the firm.

"The NNPC joint group executive council hereby gave the Federal Government 14 days from the date of the press briefing (yesterday) to respond and/or correct the above policy anomalies otherwise, the joint council shall be copelled to take necessary action", Ebube said in the statement jointly signed by I.I. Williams, F.O. Jognson, and S.A. Tijjani respectively.