The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has elected Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro as its national president.

Mr Olabiyi-Agoro ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‌‍⁠⁠⁠‌‌was elected during the first quadrennial national delegates conference of PENGASSAN on Saturday in Abuja.

He succeeds Festus Osifo, who served as the association’s National President for six years.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Olabiyi-Agoro pledged to protect members’ jobs amid divestments, automation, restructuring and uncertainties arising from the energy transition.

“We will negotiate just transition agreements, retraining and redeployment, while safety, welfare and dignity of members will remain non-negotiable,” he said.

He also pledged to strengthen collective bargaining and industrial relations, saying management would be treated as partners where fairness prevailed, while injustice would be resisted lawfully.

“Agreements signed must be agreements kept. Where there is fairness, we will collaborate; where there is injustice, we will resist — peacefully, lawfully and powerfully,” he said.

Mr Olabiyi-Agoro promised greater investment in digital skills, leadership training and mentorship, with increased participation of women and young professionals in decision-making.

He identified contract staffing and casualisation as growing challenges in the oil and gas sector, warning against using them to exploit or marginalise workers.

“A job someone has been doing for two, five, 10 or even 20 years cannot be categorised as temporary. The era of exploiting workers through contract staffing is over,” he said.

Other elected officers are George Nwoko, deputy president; Dominic Abang, national industrial relations officer; and Amaoge Chukwudi, national treasurer.

Tijani Oyabure was elected national financial secretary, while Lavin Aghaunor emerged national publicity relations officer.

Ada Mbanaso and Chidinma Anyanwu were elected national chairperson and national secretary of PENGASSAN Women Commission (PWC), respectively.

Rex Orji and Muhammad Ismail emerged national auditor I and national auditor II, respectively.

(NAN)