The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) has assured Nigerians of continuous distribution of petroleum products by its members for commercial, industrial and domestic uses in spite of coronavirus pandemic.
The union’s National President, Mr Williams Akporeha, and the General Secretary, Mr Afolabi Olawale, gave the assurance in a statement they jointly issued on Friday in Lagos.
According to the statement, the leadership of the union met and examined the critical roles the union plays in the socio-economic landscape of the country.
“We came to the conclusion that the nation needed our essential services in same manner the nation requires the services of all those in the front line of the fight to curtail the spread of the virus.
“It was, therefore, unanimously resolved that all our members, on the value chain of distribution of petroleum products for commercial, industrial and domestic uses, shall continue to work.
“This set of workers include petroleum tanker drivers, petrol stations and petroleum products depots workers, oil and gas suppliers, liquefied petroleum gas retailers and others, ” it said.
It added that the union would provide any necessary safety kits it could afford at various loading points and to all petroleum tanker drivers.
It urged all petroleum depots owners, operators, petrol station owners and industrial set-ups to provide necessary mechanisms and tools.
It urged social distancing at locations, and called for support for workers, with necessary kits and logistics
“The union will provide, within our meager resources, whatever assistance we can to mitigate various unforeseen circumstances that may arise in the course of our service to our fatherland.
“We implore other stakeholders to support the initiative of our union in whatever manner they can, ” it said.
It urged members of the union to strictly ensure hygiene at work, home, on the streets and with everyone they would interface with in their daily activities.
He said that adherence to the safety measures would go a long way to check coronavirus spread and keep socio-economic activities of the country alive.
