By Victor Ahiuma-Young & Johnbosco Agbakwuru
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has urged the Federal Government to urgently translate Nigeria’s vast oil and gas resources into jobs, increased revenue, investment and sustainable national prosperity.
The call was made in the communiqué issued at the end of the 2026 PENGASSAN Energy and Labour Summit, PEALS 2026, held from August 19 to 21 in Abuja.
The communiqué was signed by PENGASSAN President, Engr. Festus Osifo, and General Secretary, Jerry Amah.
The three-day summit brought together government officials, regulators, oil and gas companies, investors, organised labour and other industry stakeholders.
The summit, themed “Strengthening Regulatory Frameworks as a Catalyst for Stability and Growth in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry,” focused on regulatory uncertainty, investment, production, workers’ rights, gas development, domestic refining and host community relations.
According to the communique, “Nigeria does not suffer from a lack of petroleum resources, human capacity or market opportunity. The fundamental challenge is converting these advantages into investment, infrastructure, production, sustainable employment and shared prosperity.”
PENGASSAN said Nigeria must provide a stable, predictable and competitive regulatory environment to attract the long-term capital required to develop the petroleum industry. I
t called for an end to abrupt policy changes, overlapping regulatory mandates, repetitive approvals and conflicting directives that increase costs and discourage investors.
The association advocated smarter regulation backed by digitalisation, transparent processes, clear requirements, faster approvals and better coordination among regulatory institutions.
It said regulatory performance should be judged by actual industry outcomes, including increased investment, production, revenue and employment.
On gas, PENGASSAN said Nigeria must urgently harness its more than 215 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves for industrialisation. It called for greater investment in gas processing, pipelines, storage, LNG, LPG and CNG infrastructure, as well as the use of gas for power generation, manufacturing, transportation, fertiliser and petrochemical production.
The summit also called for sustained support for domestic refining, stressing that Nigeria must reduce the economic losses associated with exporting crude oil while importing refined petroleum products.
It urged the protection and support of refineries operating in the country, including the Dangote and Waltersmith refineries, saying “Nigeria must progressively retain more value from its petroleum resources through domestic refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and other value-adding activities capable of generating employment, conserving foreign exchange and stimulating industrial growth.”
On workers’ welfare, PENGASSAN called for stronger protection of jobs, pensions, accrued benefits, collective bargaining agreements and other established rights, particularly during mergers, acquisitions, divestments and asset transfers.
It also insisted that occupational health and safety must remain non-negotiable, warning that increased production should never come at the expense of workers’ lives and wellbeing.
The association called for stronger enforcement of expatriate quota requirements and greater investment in training and knowledge transfer to develop a globally competitive Nigerian workforce.
On security and host communities, PENGASSAN acknowledged improvements in the fight against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism but urged sustained cooperation among government, security agencies, operators and host communities.
It further called for effective implementation of the Host Communities Development Trust framework under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), stressing that host communities should be genuine partners in petroleum development.
The summit urged the Federal Government to address outstanding issues concerning the implementation of the PIA and ensure that recent Executive Orders issued by the President are submitted to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill to amend the Act, with adequate stakeholder consultation.
PENGASSAN also called for rehabilitation of critical energy infrastructure and measures to reduce the security risks and costs associated with investment.
The association said the time had come to move from policy pronouncements to measurable results.
“Execution must now be the priority. Policies must translate into implementation; resources into projects; projects into production; production into value; and investment into sustainable jobs and national prosperity.”
PENGASSAN called for stronger collaboration among government, regulators, NNPC Ltd., operators, investors, organised labour and host communities to remove bottlenecks and accelerate investment and production.
The association said the success of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry should ultimately be measured not merely by the resources beneath the ground, but by the projects delivered, value created, Nigerian capabilities developed, decent jobs sustained and prosperity generated for the people.
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