BLUE-collar oil workers on Tuesday told the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the insecurity crisis in Nigeria.

The workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), said there was urgent need to create jobs and deploy technology in crime fighting.

Africa’s most populous nation has been wracked by endless insecurity, including a 10-year jihadist war by the Boko Haram group.

The problem has been compounded by the resurgence of itinerant herdsmen, who have been killing people in farming communities in recent years.

But the government has risen to the problem, fighting the insurgents with vigour and putting them out of business in many parts of the country.

The President of PENGASSAN, Mr Francis Johnson, who addressed a forum of oil workers in Lagos, lamented that insecurity and wasting of human lives and property appeared to have defied all known solutions in the country.

He said that persistent insecurity was affecting Nigeria’s economic progress and its people adversely.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) cites Johnson as regretting that Nigeria is currently ranked the 16th least peaceful country in the world by the Global Peace Index, following wanton killings nationwide.

”As I speak, citizens of states such as Zamfara, Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe, Benue, Rivers, Lagos and Adamawa are being mowed down daily by bandits with sophisticated weapons.

”More pathetic is the killing of innocent women and children. Nigeria is being held hostage by cultists, yahoo boys, ritualists and herdsmen.

“We want more funding and recruitment of able-bodied people into various security agencies,” he said.

The PENGASSAN chief said that government should deploy technology to fight and prevent crimes, noting that no amount of resources expanded in securing human lives was a waste.

According to him, government should see the upsurge in criminality as an opportunity to create an enduring safe and stable society built on provision of accessible and affordable medicare, qualitative education, adequate housing and dignified jobs.

Johnson said that security, anchored solely on usage of bombs, guns and bullets could be transient and a deeper manifestation of exacerbated insecurity.

He reiterated PENGASSAN’s demand for an immediate declaration of a state of emergency and a total overhaul of the nation’s security apparatus.

The unionist, however, commended government for the gas commercialisation plan, meant to end gas flaring in the next three years.

He said that the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme, initiated by government to monetise the volume of gas flared in the oil fields was expected to ensure that wasteful practice ceased. (NAN)

– May 28, 2019 @ 16:35 GMT |