A group known as Movement of Intellectuals for National Development (MIND) has berated the national secretariat of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for its attempts to distance itself from the petition submitted to the President of the Nigerian Senate regarding the persistent and well-documented ill-treatment of Nigerian employees by the management of TotalEnergies in Nigeria.
Recall that PENGASSAN ‘s acting General Secretary, Jerry Aman, had, in a statement, distanced the union from MIND’s petition to the Nigerian Senate, noting that all issues relating to unfair labour practices raised were internal and not meant for public consumption.
However, MIND, which is a Civil Society group, pointed out that PENGASSAN’s response was deeply disappointing, evasive, and fundamentally inconsistent with the core responsibilities of a labour union that claims to exist for the protection and welfare of its members.
According to MIND Western coordinator Ebi Warekromo, had alleged that the group’s petition was not based on conjecture or hearsay, but grounded in verifiable facts, the lived experiences of affected Nigerian workers, and written correspondence authored by the local branch of PENGASSAN itself.
In a statement on Friday, the local branch of PENGASSAN had made allegations of unfair labour practices and managerial excesses within TotalEnergies Nigeria, including hostile work environments and allegations of bullying and intimidation by expatriate staff.
He stated further that other issues accused the firm of include serious security breaches and blatant local content violations, particularly the illegal perpetuation of expatriate positions beyond approved tenures, in clear contravention of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
Warekromo lamented that to describe the concerns as internal affairs and not fit for public discourse was both weak and disingenuous.
He stated that Issues involving workers’ rights violations, systemic oppression, and abuse of corporate power cease to be internal once they remain unresolved and continue to harm Nigerian workers.
Warekromo noted that it is troubling for PENGASSAN’s national leadership to distance itself from issues it has already acknowledged in writing, stressing that it raises serious questions about the union’s independence, credibility, and willingness to confront powerful corporate interests on behalf of its members.
The statement reads in part:‘’ MIND wishes to state clearly that our intervention is not an attack on PENGASSAN as an institution. It is a response to a vacuum of effective representation that has allowed oppressive practices to persist unchecked. Where unions fail or refuse to act decisively, civil society has both the right and the duty to step in.
‘’If PENGASSAN truly has nothing to hide, nothing to fear, and nothing to explain, it should welcome rather than resist public scrutiny.
‘’Accordingly, MIND formally challenges the leadership of PENGASSAN to make itself available for a transparent public hearing before the Nigerian Senate, alongside other relevant stakeholders, to openly address the substance of the grievances raised against TotalEnergies Nigeria.
‘’Attempts to intimidate whistleblowers or investigate breaches of confidentiality only deepen public concern and reinforce the perception of institutional complicity.
‘’The Nigerian public, Nigerian workers, and the Senate of the Federal Republic deserve honesty, not distancing statements, procedural excuses, or selective amnesia.
‘’MIND remains steadfast in its commitment to justice, fairness, and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector.
‘’We urge PENGASSAN’s leadership to reflect deeply on the path it is choosing and realign itself with the workers whose dues, trust, and mandate give it legitimacy,’’ the statement concluded.
