As a frustrated-Nigerian believer in a better Nigeria; where the state will exist only to serve its people and protect its sovereignty, I must at times like this pitch my tent with the two labour unions in our oil sector on the proposed privatization of our refineries. I believe in practices that ensure and aid economic development, I just don’t buy the idea of implementing policies that will impoverish the majority for the benefit of a few capitalist.

It is no longer news that the federal government through the office of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) is making plans to privatize the four national refineries in the first quarter of this year. The excuse given being the inability of the four refineries to perform optimally for over two decades now, with the Warri and ‘New’ Port Harcourt Refineries operating presently at only 30% capacity while Kaduna Refinery is defunct and ‘old’ Port Harcourt refinery is producing negligibly, irrespective of the fact that the combined installation capacity is 450,000 barrel per day. Also the failure of these refineries to meet their production capacity has been described to be responsible for the worsening local consumption, high cost of petrol and other petroleum products as petrol is being imported for local consumption.

This explains the reason behind the sale of our refineries, which is to improve on economic development and make life easier for the people; at least that is what the leadership of our government said. The argument was that, it will help prevent further colossal waste of federal government funds and human resources on ensuring it meets the production of its installed capacity and carrying out its Turn Around Maintenance (TAM). Also, petrol for local consumption will be cheaper since the petrol will be supplied domestically after the private firm that purchased the refineries have done what is necessary and the government is unwilling to do to ensure the refineries work maximally at the rate of their installed capacity or even build additional refinery not only to supply domestically but to refine for export also which will mean more tax and tariff income for the nation.

However, it is unfortunate that a particular government and its leadership especially that of an under-developed country like Nigeria will be so foolish to expose its minority employed citizens to job insecurity; which will definitely have a butterfly effect that will consequently improve poverty rate amongst its citizens, limit the potential internal generated revenue and willingly deny itself the kind of development that will make it to be able to catch fish from its waters and not be paid tax or levy by those that catch the fish in its waters to sell for its people. I don’t understand how a country who’s GDP has been said to improve at over 6% annually yet its people continue to find it difficult to live through the day with three meals per day, yet the government still make a policy that will increase the sufferings of its people by leaving them at the mercy of the greedy multinational companies.

These multinational companies or private investors as our government always call them have proven to make things work really by overhauling the whole system and in the name of overhauling, they have sacked or should I say retrenched so many employees; make working conditions unfriendly; abuse human labour; exploit the unemployment in the country by underemploying labour and service; as we have seen in Toppan Printing Company, PHCN after privatization and so many others. These multinationals don’t only feast on the people to amass their wealth or net worth but they overshadow and hinder independent national growth in the name of ‘private’ industrialization. It is only a myopic government like Nigeria that will decide to privatize its economic, social and health institutions in the name of development only to avoid the responsibility of making those institutions to achieve their maximum potential because it lack the willingness to serve and protect national interest. A responsible, good and patriotic government will never plan privatization but work hard and make the public sector attain its full potential.

Fortunately, labour unions are set out to be watchdogs of government actions and inactions which will affect development and invariably affect their workers. As expected, the two labour unions in the sector namely; the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has voice their opposition to the sale of the refineries and have vowed to resist the sale even if it translate directly into embarking on a nation-wide strike if the government decided to go on with the privatization of the refineries (PHRC, KPRC and WPRC) at any time.

The position of these two unions is understandable as they have observed closely and evaluate what is to come if the government sail through on the sale of the refineries. They understand adequately the consequence of the sale to private investors such as gross job insecurity, underemployment, possible abuse of labour, possible proscription of union activities and a huge loss of source of national income and stability machinery or infrastructure to the country. In their own interest and that of national development and prosperity for all, PENGASSAN and NUPENG has decided to took it upon themselves, knowing fully well the detailed statistics of the cost and benefit of the refineries if they are sold or resuscitated, to nip in the bud before it is too late.

This make me to wonder about the possibility of the government finding a private investor that will invest his money in potential investment that has been said to be a total wastage by the minister of petroleum, co-ordinating minister of economy and finance, and every other stakeholders that has made the government believed so, except s/he is neither smart or business oriented. The only reason a private investor will invest his/her money in that is if it is promising and it will bring profits, for that is the only rule a capitalist understands and this will reciprocally interprete into the fact that our government is mistaken.

At this stage one wonders if our federal executive council members are inadequate in the understanding required, knowledge needed and the wisdom necessary to pilot the government in good weather and against all turbulence to our desired destination as a people. You will be thinking maybe they know better than to transfer ownership of business or investment from public sector to private sector for extra short-term income in addition to tax revenues for the private owner to make profits without considering the security and welfare of its citizens but have decided to look the other way because the government is not interested in national interest and growth and can not go through the administrative procedures of overhauling the whole system to achieve maximum performance of such business for the good of the people and the nation or because of their selfish interest, you will think may be because they want to add more money to their war chest towards the general elections in 2015 but one thing is certain; this government is leading us in the wrong direction.

What fills my heart with pain is the idea of some of our compatriots about the inability of our government to be responsible and manage a business in the right course for our collective good. This has only proven how ignorant these compatriots are because the ability of any government to be responsible and capable of managing efficintly its businesses is inherently the reponsibility of its leaders and that of its citizens. The bane of our problem is never the inability of the refineries to operate maximally but the inability of our government to be vissionary, prospective and willing.

However, it brings me great joy to learn about the denial on the sale of the refineries by the presidency through an interview the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity; Dr Reubaen Abati, have with State House correspondents after the threats of PENGASSAN and NUPENG and the contribution of other well-meaning Nigerians and also the subsequent deadline the presidency has also fixed for things to be well with the refineries or else, it will continue with the sale of the refineries, though I couldn’t help it but believe the presidency is just stalling as it will continue with the sale anyway. However, PENGASSAN, NUPENG and every other well-meaning Nigerians must not let their guard down as we all know that this administration has proven deceitful in its dealings than any other we had known in our soon to be hundred (100) years of history.

The writer is on Twitter as @AAbiolat and can be contacted via paulakintunde@gmail.com

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