by Peregba Jerry
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has decried repeated kidnap and attacks on their members, calling on security agencies to help protect members and the general public.
PENGASSAN also described as shameful the deplorable state of the Eleme section of the East-West road, despite its economic importance to the country.
The Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, Peter Onita, spoke in Port Harcourt during its weeklong Security Awareness Campaign in the state tagged: ‘Making Nigeria and Nigerians safer and more secured.”
Speaking after a visit to the Headquarters of Rivers State Police Command, Department of State Services, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, said the union had engaged relevant government agencies to ensure that lives of Nigerians were more secured.
Onita noted that its members were being kidnapped and harassed on daily basis, adding that such has affected their operations.
He enjoined Nigerians not to leave security in the hands of security agencies alone, but to support the government in the protection of lives and property.
Onita said: “With this awareness, we want the world to know that security is not to be left in the hands of security agencies alone, it should be in the hands of everybody. Whatever we can do in our own little way, individuals and organizations should contribute what the government is doing.
“As we speak, our members are being kidnapped, as we speak, men and women Nigerians are still being kidnapped, but we know that this awareness will go a long way.”
Onita further expressed displeasure over the current state of the East-West road in especially the Akpajo area, describing the recent blockade by Ogoni youths as apt.
Onita said, “As an association, let us state that the blockage that happened along the East-West road was not done by PENGASSAN, it was a blockage by men, women, and youths of the area, especially the Eleme and Ogoni area of the state.
“However, PENGASSAN in the past has written to the government, engaging government on the need for us to work on that road. After we found that majority of money given to states and indeed the federation comes from that area and it is even natural that little attention is given to that road.
“So we are in support in the call that the East-West road is given attention and PENGASSAN had maintained that position even before now, so we would like to tell the government that there is need for them to work on that road. The economic value of that section of the East-West road can never be quantified.”
