Casual workers shut NNPC in Benue

Casual workers of the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) have shut down the oil firm in Makurdi to protest their unpaid entitlements.

Daily Trust reports that the protest caused gridlock as several tankers were stranded along the road leading to the entrance of the NNPC in Apir-Makurdi.

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The protesting workers, who locked up the first and second gates leading into the firm, told newsmen in Makurdi Thursday that the protest would continue until their demands are met.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, a Supervisor, Iorbee, said since Monday when they began the protest, the authority of the firm had not deemed it fit to address them or paid monies owed to them.

Iorbee said those who have not been paid include security guards and cleaners, who are owed between five months and one year.

“We won’t allow any work here until we are fully paid,” he said.

An official of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity, said the protest was already affecting the lifting of products as 72 trucks were waiting for clearance at the company’s gate.

He feared that the development may result in scarcity of fuel in the state and its environs if nothing was done to resolve the matter on time.

Contacted, the Head of Administration and Security of NNPC in Makurdi, Mabel Akogu, told journalists that the protesters have management issues, which were being looked into.

Akogu said the management of the firm was already on top of the matter and would be sorted out soon.