PENGASSAN Reveals Major Link Between Poverty And Nigeria’s Worsening Insecurity

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has warned that efforts to address insecurity in Nigeria could remain ineffective unless governments at all levels urgently tackle rising poverty and improve the living conditions of citizens.

The association also called for a major reform of local government administration to make it more effective, accountable and responsive to the needs of people at the grassroots.

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, made the remarks at a dinner organised to honour former leaders of the association for their contributions to its growth and development since its establishment in 1978.

The event was attended by former presidents, deputy presidents, general secretaries, zonal chairmen, zonal secretaries and other national officers of the association.

Osifo said the economic hardship in the country was affecting not only workers but also their families, relatives, neighbours and communities.

He explained that even workers earning relatively good salaries were increasingly struggling under the financial burden of supporting unemployed relatives and others facing economic difficulties.

According to him, “a worker may have a good income but could quickly find such earnings depleted by the responsibility of supporting unemployed relatives and other people around them who are struggling financially.”

The PENGASSAN president said the situation demonstrated that the effects of economic hardship extended far beyond organised labour.

He stressed that while the association’s primary responsibility was to protect the jobs, wages and welfare of its members, it could not remain indifferent to the broader economic challenges confronting Nigerians.

FG, States and LGs Must Take Action

Osifo urged governments at the federal, state and local levels to become more responsive to the needs of citizens and recognise that reducing poverty was a collective responsibility.

He said all three tiers of government had crucial roles to play in easing economic hardship and improving the standard of living across the country.

According to him, addressing poverty requires genuine political will and practical action rather than promises.

He therefore called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments and local authorities in tackling the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.

The labour leader also raised concerns about the state of local government administration, describing local governments as the “level of government closest to the people.”

He argued that local councils should provide citizens with an effective platform to demand accountability and solutions to problems affecting their communities.

However, Osifo lamented that many local governments had become largely ineffective, leaving residents without an efficient grassroots system through which they could seek solutions to their basic needs.

He maintained that the weakness of local government administration had contributed to the persistence of poverty and other social challenges.

Osifo consequently called for a comprehensive review of grassroots governance to make local governments more efficient, accountable and responsive to citizens.

Poverty Making Insecurity Harder to Fight

The PENGASSAN president further warned that the government could struggle to make significant progress in the fight against insecurity as long as widespread poverty persisted.

He urged governments across the country to demonstrate the political will needed to implement policies that would reduce poverty and improve citizens’ living conditions.

Osifo said tackling economic hardship should form an integral part of the broader strategy for addressing insecurity.

He noted that citizens with access to decent livelihoods and basic necessities would be less vulnerable to economic and social pressures that could contribute to insecurity.

PENGASSAN Honours Former Leaders

Speaking on the purpose of the gathering, Osifo said the dinner was organised to recognise the sacrifices and contributions of former leaders who had helped build PENGASSAN since its establishment in 1978.

He said their contributions remained important to the association’s development and should not be forgotten.

According to him, former leaders had continued to support the association by providing guidance and advice to the current leadership whenever they identified areas requiring attention or improvement.

Osifo described the awards presented to the former officials as a token of appreciation for their sacrifices and contributions to the growth of the association.

He added that successive administrations had continued to build on the foundation laid by the association’s former leaders.

The PENGASSAN president said the gathering provided an opportunity to celebrate the organisation’s past leaders while recognising their continued role in guiding its present leadership.