The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called for stronger cooperation among the government, regulators, employers and labour unions to promote stability and sustainable growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, made the call on Thursday in Abuja during the association’s 2026 Labour Summit.
The summit is themed “Strengthening Regulatory Frameworks as a Catalyst for Stability and Growth.”
Osifo said meaningful engagement among key industry stakeholders was essential to developing practical solutions to the challenges facing the petroleum sector.
He stressed that no single stakeholder could resolve the industry’s problems independently, adding that closer cooperation was necessary to achieve industrial harmony and long-term growth.
“There must be collaboration between government, regulators, employers and labour, because this synergy is what will bring about stability in the industry.”
PENGASSAN highlights approach to oil asset divestments
Osifo said PENGASSAN had drawn on the experience of its former leaders and past union officials while developing strategies to address emerging challenges in the sector.
He said the union initially had concerns about the impact of oil asset divestments on workers but consulted former officials to better understand previous experiences and possible solutions.
The association subsequently engaged the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to ensure that workers’ interests were considered in the regulatory framework for divestments.
According to Osifo, PENGASSAN demanded assurances from companies acquiring divested assets that workers’ jobs, salaries and welfare would be protected.
He said the union required acquiring companies to demonstrate how they intended to preserve employment and maintain or improve workers’ remuneration after taking over the assets.
The PENGASSAN president said agreements involving divesting companies, acquiring firms and the union were required before transactions involving operated assets could be completed.
He said the approach helped protect workers during divestments involving major international oil companies, noting that no PENGASSAN member lost employment as a result of the process.
Osifo added that acquiring companies also made commitments to maintain or improve workers’ welfare packages after assuming control of the affected operations.
Union advocates dialogue over industrial disputes
The PENGASSAN president urged employers and labour representatives to rely on dialogue and credible data when negotiating employment conditions.
He cautioned against allowing disagreements to escalate into industrial action, saying many disputes could be resolved earlier through constructive engagement.
Osifo observed that employers sometimes offered better conditions only after workers had embarked on industrial action, arguing that similar outcomes could often have been reached through earlier negotiations.
He urged both management and labour to remain open-minded during negotiations and carefully examine available data before resorting to agitation.
Osifo said PENGASSAN would continue to pursue legitimate and reasonable demands while favouring peaceful dialogue and evidence-based negotiations.
PENGASSAN seeks greater investment in worker training
Osifo also called on oil and gas companies to increase investment in employee training and continuous professional development.
He expressed concern that some indigenous oil companies viewed training as an avoidable expense and reduced training budgets when attempting to lower operational costs.
The union leader argued that training should instead be treated as an essential investment because workers require appropriate skills and knowledge to perform their responsibilities effectively.
He warned that inadequate training could increase the risk of workplace incidents, particularly in the oil and gas sector, where employees routinely operate in technically complex and potentially hazardous environments.
Osifo therefore urged employers to provide regular training and retraining to ensure workers remain competent and capable of performing their duties safely.
He stressed that the ultimate objective was to ensure employees had the necessary skills to complete their assignments and return safely to their families.
PENGASSAN maintained that stronger stakeholder collaboration, constructive labour-management relations and sustained investment in workforce development would be critical to improving stability, productivity and sustainable growth in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
