Oil workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria are seeking the Federal Government’s commitment to the repair of the nation’s ailing refineries.

The association promised to support any sustainable model that could make the refineries effective and profitable.

The President, PENGASSAN, Mr. Francis Johnson, during a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said, “Our association seeks strong commitment from the government to carry out a comprehensive rehabilitation of the three refineries with timelines and effect strategies of adequate and sustainable crude supply to the refineries.”

He commended Kachikwu for the enormous efforts made so far and giant strides achieved since his assumption of office as the minister of state to oversee the oil and gas industry despite daunting challenges confronting the industry.

“These have sincerely impacted positively on transparency and accountability in the industry. We value the great job you are doing in the ministry that is targeted at improving the nation’s economy in general,” Johnson stated.

He lauded the ‘7 Big Wins’ introduced by the government, with the aim of improving transparency, efficiency, investments and security in the oil and gas sector.

He stated, “However, all these agenda revolves around a structured legal framework to succeed, which is why we are clamouring for the expedient passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill. The delay in the passage of the bill by the National Assembly has impacted negatively on the industry and the nation’s economy as a whole.