Lagos — Comrade Elijah Okougbo is the General Secretary of National Union of Petroleum and National Gas Workers (NUPENG). In this interview with UFOMBA UZUEGBU, he reflects on a wide range of issues including the prolonged absence of President Umaru Musa Yar'Aua, on health grounds and its implications to full implementation of the Amnesty deal with Niger Delter militants. Excerpts:

On the fixed tenure of bank CEOs by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)?

The new tenure for CEOs of banks, is not acceptable to me. The apex bank may have done it as part of efforts to check youthful exuberance and squandermania instincts of young bank directors in the commercial banks. People allocated fat salaries and allowances to themselves; underestimating the consequences and also failing to realise that depositors' money needed to be properly protected. The foregoing notwithstanding, I do not think that the tenure of an employee should be regulated especially in the banks that are doing well. I say so because age has great advantage over youth; in wisdom and custom. Like in the academia, you can see that they are upgrading their tenure, ditto, the judiciary, because the older you are the wiser you become-the 'tendency to drop itching fingers, is always there, when you are getting older.

The tendency also to drop youthful exuberance is always there when you are growing older. The maturity that comes with age, is always there.

But you know the CBN top management got highly incensed with the stealing and squanderminai in the banks and the disregard for the interest of depositors who they were gambling with their money. That was why the CBN did that.

But I think with time, that type of regulation would no longer be entertained. It should be reversed when they would have learnt their lessons.

On President Yar'Adua's continued absence on health grounds?

I recall that at the last delegates conference of our union, we resolved that ill-health is a natural phenomenon and that anyone can fall sick at anytime. We urge Nigerians to continue to pray for President Yar'Adua.

But we also recommended that the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan should continue to fly the national flag; that is to act as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We did not know that a set of leaders in the ruling party; a cabal, was working against the collective interests of Nigerians. The cabal does not understand the ethics and techniques of management. It is ridiculous that the clique is insisting that until the president returns from his medical vacation, the Vice President cannot act as president in accordance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are strongly of the view that the VP should start acting, so that the country does not drift rudderlessly.

Implications of alleged moves by a cabal to ensure that Vice President Jonathan does not assume leadership of the country albeit, in acting capacity?

The implications are quite obvious. As a fall out perhaps, militants in the Niger had threatened to resume hostilities if the Vice President is not allowed to assume his rightful position. Now they have made good their threat by resuming hostilities in the area. They have not only vandalised crude oil pipelines through which crude oil is pumped to Kaduna and Warri refineries. They have started vandalizing pipelines that convey crude from oil wells and flow stations to the export terminals. And Shell is the most hurt amongst the oil multinationals. That should serve as a lesson.

If the former president of Nigeria, Gen. Yakubu Gowon who fought the Nigerian civil war that Nigeria should be united; could lead a crusade to the National Assembly asking them to make Vice President acting President so that history would not judge them wrongly-I don not know why the National Assembly is dilly-dalling on the matter. They do not know that if the crisis in the Niger Delta worsens and there is no oil export, the country would go into serious crisis. And most of them (National Assembly members) would pay dearly for it.

The policemen and soldiers guarding them would turn their guns against them. Because they have no business being in the National Assembly if they cannot take a decision; that if the man at the helm of affairs is ill for more than a month, the next person should automatically begin to act so that there would be no vacuum.

Whether the president recovers tomorrow or any other time in the foreseeable future, the Vice President should begin to act so that Nigeria can begin to command respect in the comity of nations. At the moment, we are being made a laughing stock.

What is your take on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)?

The position of our union NUPENG, on the bill, falls in line with those of the leaders of the Niger Delta andd other stakeholders who are strongly of the view that the Petroleum Industry Bill should give protection to the interests of oil producing communities, first and foremost.

We recommended that oil producing communities should be given ten per cent revenuefrom the federation account so that they can use it to fight environmental hazards. And then provide employment opportunities for their people; then provide income and other things that would provide sustenance for their people.

Those in the riverine areas who can no longer fish, government can build for them, large-scale fishing ponds because aquatic life has been destroyed arising from oil spill. The lands are not fertile either so that they can buy enough fertiliser to fertilise their lands-to establish plantations and small scale industries. When this is achieved, the crisis of survival which has hunted them since oil production started in the area, will no longer be there.

Apart from the oil companies that should carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) surveys, they too should be able to provide money to invite other nationals anexperts who would make certain recommendations on how to protect themselves.

But a situation where recommendations from critical sectors of the from the petroleum industry are saying that anywhere you have a depot or refinery such an area should be considered an oil producing area. Which means that money that is allocated for the oil communities would be shared with communities that are not oil producing. That is wrong.

I urge the National Assembly members especially those from the Niger Delta to look beyond their nose. They should go back to their people and find out exactly, what they want, which would be suitable to them and posterity and then return to the National Assembly to canvass the positions.

If justice is not done to the Petroleum Industry Bill the "do will continue to wag the tail" as it were.

On your expectations for year 2010?

Generally speaking, oil workers did not fare well in the past years not just in 2009 alone. Because of the crisis in the Niger Delta, a lot of them suffered from retrenchment a lot of company closures and force majures, kidnappings, redundancy a situation where many of them had to stay at home without a job and without an income.

You know that oil and gas workers are seafaring people. Some of them could stay for two weeks at the rigs or sea producing before they would come home to spend a week and go back. Even on-shore drilling also suffered enormously. It is only now that oil companies are trying to resuscitate their equipment.

The pipelines that are being rehabilitated are further being vandalised. If you go to Eket what is happening there is unimaginable. So it is not yet Uhuru for oil and gas workers. Let me also ad that the absence of President Yar'Adua, has adversely affected the implementation of the agreements reached with the leaders and militants in the Niger Delta.

The rate bull dozers are rolling out in Abuja night and day constructing roads and building bridges in the Federal Capital Territory, it is not so in the Niger Delta. And Abuja does not produce anything. They are inviting the "dogs" of war."

As for us, we will continue to urge oil an gas workers to do their work, inspite of the fact that we are not faring better. Those on standby are not being recalled because the Niger Delta question is still there. It is still the case of "peace of the grave yard."

We urge government to go ahead with social dialogue; allow Goodluck Jonathan to continue to act as president until Yar'Adua comes back, hale and hearty to assume office.

Again, we insist that the agreements reached between the Federal government and the militants should be implemented to the letter and that the massive development of the Niger Delta must start today and not tomorrow.

This is the only thing that can keep the oil and gas workers on their rigs.