By Michael Oche
Comrade Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro has emerged as the new President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), pledging to make job protection, workers’ welfare, collective bargaining and the fight against casualisation key priorities of his administration.
Olabiyi was elected at the conclusion of PENGASSAN’s Quadrennial National Delegate Conference held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Saturday succeeding Comrade Festus Osifo, who led the association from 2020 to 2026.
In his acceptance speech, the new PENGASSAN president promised that his administration would not allow workers to bear the brunt of divestments, business restructuring, automation and the ongoing energy transition in the oil and gas industry.
Olabiyi_Agoro paid glowing tribute to Osifo, describing him as a “leader, builder and fighter” whose tenure strengthened PENGASSAN, enhanced its influence and positioned the association more prominently in national labour and energy-sector discussions.
He said Osifo defended workers’ jobs during divestments, fought for improved Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and their implementation, and ensured that PENGASSAN had a stronger voice at the highest levels of government.
He said the protection of jobs and expansion of PENGASSAN’s membership would be the administration’s foremost priority, stressing that workers must not be treated as expendable in an industry undergoing rapid transformation.
The new PENGASSAN president pledged that the union would negotiate for just-transition agreements, retraining and redeployment whenever changes in the industry threaten workers’ jobs.
He also declared that the safety, welfare and dignity of PENGASSAN members would remain non-negotiable.
The new president expressed optimism about increased activities and recruitment in the oil and gas industry, saying the trend should be sustained rather than allowing job losses to become a permanent feature of the sector.
He equally promised to strengthen collective bargaining and industrial relations, insisting that agreements reached between employers and workers must be respected and implemented.
According to him, PENGASSAN would engage employers as partners with different responsibilities, collaborating wherever there is fairness but resisting injustice “peacefully, lawfully and effectively.”
Olabiyi further pledged timely communication, good-faith negotiations and adherence to agreements reached between the union and employers.
He said his administration would invest in digital skills, leadership development and mentorship to prepare members for the changing demands of the energy sector.
He also promised greater opportunities for women and young professionals to participate in decision-making, while committing the union to competitive remuneration and improved welfare for its staff.
A major plank of the new administration’s agenda will be the fight against contract staffing and casualisation, which Olabiyi described as a growing menace in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
While clarifying that PENGASSAN was not opposed to legitimate contract staffing, he questioned the continued classification of workers as temporary employees after years of performing the same jobs.
“A job that someone has been doing for over two years, five years, 10 years, even 20 years or more cannot be categorised as a temporary position anymore,” he said.
Olabiyi accused some employers of using contract staffing to exploit workers, promote marginalisation and reduce costs, warning that PENGASSAN would deploy every available resource to interrogate the practice.
He also linked casualisation to workplace health and safety concerns, signalling that the issue would receive sustained attention under his administration.
The newly elected national officers of PENGASSAN are Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro, President; George Nwoko, Deputy President; Dominic Abang, National Industrial Relations Officer; Amaoge Chukwudi, National Treasurer; Tijani Oyabure, National Financial Secretary; Lavin Aghaunor, National Public Relations Officer; Ada Maryam Mbanaso, National Chairperson, PWC; Chidinma Anyanwu, National Secretary, PWC; Rex Orji, National Auditor I; and Muhammad Sani Ismail, National Auditor II.
