By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has warned that the battle against insecurity in the country would remain difficult unless governments at all levels urgently tackle rising poverty and improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
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The association also called for the repositioning of local governments to make them more responsive to the needs of citizens at the grassroots.
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, spoke at a social gathering organised to honour former leaders of the association for their contributions to its growth and development since its establishment in 1978.
The event was attended by former Presidents, Deputy Presidents, General Secretaries, Zonal Chairmen, Zonal Secretaries and other national officers of the association.
Osifo said the economic hardship in the country had consequences beyond organised labour, stressing that even workers earning relatively good salaries were increasingly burdened by the financial difficulties of relatives, neighbours and members of their communities.
According to him, “a worker may have a good income but could quickly find such earnings depleted by the responsibility of supporting unemployed relatives and other people around them who are struggling financially.”
He said while the primary responsibility of PENGASSAN remained the protection of its members’ jobs, remuneration and welfare, the association could not afford to ignore the wider economic challenges confronting Nigerians.
The PENGASSAN President said governments must become more responsive to the plight of citizens and recognise that tackling poverty was a collective responsibility involving the Federal Government, state governments and local governments.
He expressed particular concern over the state of local government administration, describing it as “the level of government closest to the people” and one that should provide citizens with an avenue to demand accountability over basic community needs.
Osifo, however, lamented that many local governments had become largely ineffective, leaving citizens without an effective grassroots mechanism to demand solutions to problems affecting their communities.
He argued that the situation had contributed to the rising level of poverty and called for a fundamental review of governance at the grassroots.
The PENGASSAN leader further warned that government would struggle to significantly reduce insecurity as long as widespread poverty persisted.
He urged governments across the country to work together, demonstrate political will and implement practical measures capable of reducing poverty and improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
On the essence of the dinner, Osifo said it was organised to ensure that the sacrifices and contributions of those who had served the association over the decades were not forgotten.
He said former leaders had continued to contribute to the progress of PENGASSAN by offering advice to the current leadership whenever they identified issues requiring attention or areas where improvements could be made.
Osifo described the awards as tokens of appreciation for the sacrifices made by the former officials and their contributions to building the foundation upon which successive administrations had continued to build.
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