Africa News
Nigerian union threatens to halt oil production
Jan 12, 2012, 16:45 GMT
Abuja - A major trade union for oil and gas production in Nigeria threatened Thursday to halt oil production if the government does not reinstate subsidized fuel.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) released a statement Thursday supporting ongoing strike action across Nigeria, which has now entered a fourth day.
The union said it will 'pull out all its members including those on offshore production facilities, thereby maintaining zero production operations.'
It said the move would be effective midnight on Sunday.
Nigeria produces about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, but it cannot refine its own oil, shipping in most of the fuel that its 160 million people use.
Thousands of people demonstrated against the removal of subsidies on imported fuel - which has caused the price of petrol to double - in Lagos Thursday.
Their venue was the Gani Fawehmi motor park in the Ojota district of Lagos. Dubbed 'Nigeria's Tahrir Square', appearances at the park have been made by oppositions, actors and singers - including Seun Kuti, the son of legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti - this week.
President Goodluck Jonathan's government continues to call for strike action to cease.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed in 10 states after peaceful demonstrations turned violent earlier this week, killing at least five people.
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