The Movement of Intellectuals for National Development (MIND) has criticized the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for failing to address the reported mistreatment of Nigerian staff at TotalEnergies.
MIND expressed disappointment over PENGASSAN distancing itself from a petition submitted to the Nigerian Senate that documented violations faced by local employees. Ebi Warekromo, MIND’s Western Coordinator, described the petition as grounded in factual evidence and the lived experiences of affected workers.
He highlighted that PENGASSAN’s local branch had previously raised concerns over unwarranted labour practices and the oppressive management style at TotalEnergies, especially involving expatriate staff. MIND noted that serious breaches, including non-compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD), occurred due to the illegal extension of expatriate roles beyond approved limits.
Warekromo emphasized that workers’ rights violations should not be confined to internal union discussions. “When issues continue to adversely affect workers, they should not be confined to internal discussions,” he said. MIND warned that PENGASSAN must take decisive action or face external scrutiny, stressing that reluctance to engage raises concerns about the union’s integrity and reliability.
The group has called for an immediate public inquiry to hold TotalEnergies accountable and urged PENGASSAN to participate in a transparent public hearing before the Senate. The statement clarified that MIND’s intervention is not an attack on PENGASSAN but a response to a vacuum in effective representation.
“Where unions fail or refuse to act decisively, civil society has both the right and the duty to step in,” the statement read. MIND also cautioned against intimidation of whistleblowers and said that procedural excuses or distancing statements only reinforce perceptions of institutional complicity. The organization reaffirmed its commitment to justice, fairness, and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector.
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