From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has assured industry stakeholders that Nigeria’s crude oil and gas production remains stable and unaffected despite the ongoing nationwide strike by workers protesting the commission’s foreign training policy.
The commission gave the assurance on Monday after members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) shut down NUPRC offices across the country, disrupting administrative activities and blocking access to its headquarters in Abuja.
The workers embarked on the industrial action following a breakdown in negotiations with management over the commission’s decision to prioritise local training programmes over overseas capacity-building initiatives for staff.
Reacting to the development, the Head of Corporate Communications and Media at NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, acknowledged that some administrative functions had been affected by the strike but stressed that oil and gas operations across the country remained uninterrupted.
“It is true that some administrative activities were affected today due to industrial action taken by the unions. However, this has not in any way impacted activities in oil and gas facilities or production in general”, Akinkuotu stated.
He noted that the commission’s top management was already engaging the union leadership in discussions to resolve the dispute and restore normal operations.
“The top management of the commission is meeting with the unions in order to put an end to the strike and ultimately restore normalcy”, he added.
According to Akinkuotu, regulatory oversight functions and field monitoring activities are continuing despite the disruption to office operations.
The strike was triggered by a disagreement over staff training arrangements, with competent sources indicating that management had opted to emphasise local training programmes as part of efforts to reduce costs and strengthen domestic institutional capacity.
Sources within the commission said management maintained that specialised training, including programmes linked to Factory Acceptance Tests for Positive Displacement (PD) Meters, could be effectively conducted within Nigeria without the need for expensive overseas travel.
A staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the commission believed the policy would promote local content development while providing more cost-effective training opportunities.
The workers, however, reportedly opposed the move, insisting that certain technical programmes require international exposure and direct interaction with global equipment manufacturers and industry experts.
The disagreement subsequently escalated into a nationwide strike, forcing the suspension of administrative activities across NUPRC offices and raising concerns about the potential implications of prolonged labour unrest on regulatory processes.
