Motorists formed long queues at fuel stations and bought in panic in Lagos on Tuesday as oil workers rounded off their clarion call for a strike today.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and National Union of Petroleum and the Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) both confirmed that the nationwide industrial action will last three days .
Anxiety equally gripped motorists in other parts of the country as they did not want to be caught unawares.
They besieged petrol stations to build up stock of petroleum products that would last till the strike is over.
The two unions have ordered their members to suspend lifting products from depots and the distribution to filling stations from today.
PENGASSAN National President, Peter Esele, said there is no going back on the strike, since the seven-day ultimatum issued to the government at the joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Benin last week has expired.
The unions gave the government a deadline to address under-development in the Niger Delta, the cause of restiveness and dangerous living in the region.
Esele disclosed that the meeting PENGASSAN and NUPENG held with the government on Monday ended in a deadlock.
“No matter the outcome of yesterday�s meeting, the two oil unions would not convene a meeting of their NEC to call off the strike,” he stressed.
NUPENG President, Peter Akpatason, added that though the government has been making last minute entreaties for another roundtable with the unions on how to stall the strike, both unions are not optimistic that it would yield anything meaningful.
Akpatason listed the grievances of the oil workers to include:
� Abuja should resolve the high insecurity in the Niger Delta, which has exposed oil workers to the dangers of hostage-taking and vandalisation of pipelines.
� Conversion of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurum, Warri into a full- fledged university.
� Granting of full autonomy to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to enable it regulate the oil and gas industry effectively.
To highlight the dangers in the creeks. A Community Liaison Officer (CLO) with Shell, Nelson Ujeya, who was kidnapped in Bayelsa State a few weeks ago, was killed along with some youths by the Joint Military Task Force on claims of mistaken identity.
He was ambushed while in the company of officials of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) team to Letugbebe Community on August 8, 2006.