Workers of Nigerian Agip Oil Company stage protest in Port Harcourt

Tensions ran high as employees of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) voiced their opposition to the company’s acquisition by Oando Plc.

Protests unfolded at the NAOC headquarters in Port Harcourt, where workers demanded the immediate cessation of the acquisition process, citing concerns that approximately 3,000 jobs could be jeopardized.

The discontent among members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had been escalating since reports surfaced about Oando Plc’s acquisition of a 100 percent stake in the Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, as well as Eni Nigeria’s complete divestment of its 20 percent equity share in NAOC JV.

Eyong Survival, the Branch Chairman of Agip Group PENGASSAN in Port Harcourt, disclosed that the news of the impending acquisition had taken a toll on some association staff, with reports of employees falling ill.

The primary source of concern stemmed from a lack of transparency regarding the details of the acquisition, prompting Survival and fellow workers to take to the streets in protest.

In an act of defiance, the protesters blockaded access to the Agip premises in Port Harcourt, making a fervent appeal to the Federal Executive Council, the National Assembly, and regulatory authorities to intervene and halt the transaction.

Survival contended that the acquisition process ran afoul of established labor laws and, if permitted to proceed, could result in the displacement of more than 3,000 staff members.

Survival further asserted that the consequences of the transaction were already being felt, with disruptions in gas supplies affecting critical infrastructure and communities.

He emphasized that if the acquisition had indeed been completed, those affected must receive special severance packages, and employees eligible for transfer to the new owner should be allowed to do so without impediments.

The facilities caught up in this acquisition process pertain to Oil Mining Leases situated in the states of Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Imo.

In response to the protests, staff members of NAOC withdrew their services from all company facilities, pending a favorable resolution to their concerns.