No mention of a National Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Association could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, there is mention of both the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) (PANA 31 Oct. 1997; DPA 14 Nov. 1997; Theweek 3 Feb. 1997).

Both unions called a nationwide strike in 1994 in protest against the cancellation of the 1993 elections (HRW Jan. 1999; UNHCR Oct. 1995).

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) reported:

There were significant improvements in Nigeria's respect for trade union rights following the death in June [1998] of the Head of State, General Abacha. Trade union leaders were released from prison and unions began to be freed from government control. Harshanti-union decrees were repealed or amended.

At the beginning of 1998, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) national trade union centre, and the oil workers' unions, NUPENG and PENGASSAN were still being run by administrators appointed by the military regime.

The regime installed its administrators in 1994 after a strike in the oil industry in July and August of that year led by NUPENG and PENGASSAN, and backed by the NLC, which called a general strike on 3-4 August, 1994. The strike was over numerous economic grievances as well as the military regime's annulment of the June 1993 general elections, widely believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Abiola.

The national executive councils of the NLC, and the national and state executive councils of NUPENG, and PENGASSAN were dissolved by the regime under Decrees 9 and 10 of August, 1994. The decrees banned union leaders from their own premises, froze union bank accounts and withdrew check-off facilities. The regime issued other decrees banning the courts from challenging the government over labour matters. ...

Nigeria's military ruler, General Abacha died unexpectedly on 8 June [1998]. The new Head of State, General Abubaker, released nine detainees on 15 June among which were NUPENG and PENGASSAN leaders Frank Kokori and Milton Dabibi. In July, in an address to the nation, General Abubakar pledged to respect and protect freedom of association and said that unions would be able to function freely. He said that the labour movement would be democratised during the life of his administration. ...

The administrators were removed from NUPENG and PENGASSAN. NUPENG held its congress at the end of September, and PENGASSAN held its congress at the beginning of October (1999).

With respect to NUPENG the UNHCR reported that it is

The union of manual workers in the oil industry. Under the leadership of Chief Frank Kokori, NUPENG took the leading role in 1994 protests against military rule culminating in a two-month strike. In response the government dissolved the union's leadership. Chief Kokori was later detained without charge (Oct. 1995).

UNHCR reported that there were 150,000 NUPENG members in October 1995 (ibid.)

There are numerous reports of NUPENG's involvement in strikes on a number of issues both before and after the transition to democratic rule (PANA 31 Oct. 1997; DPA 14 Nov. 1997; Post Express 22 Oct. 2000; ibid. 29 Sept. 2000; ibid. 16 June 2000; ibid. 17 Feb. 1999; AFP 18 June 1999; The Guardian 19 Oct. 2000; PANA 20 Sept. 2000).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 18 June 1999. "Nigeria: Shell Pay Dispute Ends, Operations Resume." (FBIS-AFR-1999-0618 18 June 1999/WNC)

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA). 14 November 1997. Kunle Adekoya. "Nigeria Tackles Oil Majors Over Expatriate Quota Abuses." (NEXIS)

The Guardian [Lagos]. 19 October 2000. Moses Ebosele. "NUPENG Seeks Meeting With Lagos Govt Over Violence." http://www.ngrguardiannews.com [Accessed 9 May 2001]

Human Rights Watch (HRW). January 1999. The Price of Oil: Corporate Responsibility and Human Rights Violations in Nigeria's Oil Producing Communities. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), Brussels. Belgium. 1999. Report on Nigeria from the Annual Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights. http://www.icftu.org/ [Accessed 8 May 2001]

Panafrican News Agency (PANA). 20 September 2000. Segun Adeyemi. "Nigeria; Nigerian Oil Workers End Strike." (Africa News/NEXIS)

_____. 31 October 1997. Paul Ejime. Nigeria; Nigerian Oil Workers Suspend Four-Day Strike." (Africa News/NEXIS)

Post Express [Lagos]. 22 October 2000. Daniel Kanu. "Fuel Tanker Drivers Call Off Strike." http://www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 9 May 2001]

_____. 29 September 2000. Emma Anyigor. "Senate Moves to Avert Fresh Oil Workers? Strike." http://www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 9 May 2001]

_____.16 June 2000. Michael Faloyesi and Francis Onoirbholo. "Normalcy Returns to Socio-Economic Sector." http://www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 9 May 2001]

_____. 17 February 1999. Leo Aligwo. "Kokori Assures of Normal Fuel Distribution." http://www.postexpresswired.com [Accessed 9 May 2001]

Theweek [Lagos]. 3 February 1997. Austin Owete. "Nigeria; The Final Blow for Labour." (Africa News/NEXIS)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). October 1995. Background Paper on Refugee and Asylum Seekers From Nigeria. Geneva: UNHCR Centre for Documentation and Research.

IRB databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

REFWORLD

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites including:

AFL-CIO

The Awareness League (Nigerian Anarchist Organization)

Federations and Unions on the Internet

Global Unions

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)

International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union (ICEM)

International Labour Organization (ILO)

International Labour Resource and Information Group (ILRIG), Cape Town

LabourStart News Database

Trades Union Congress (TUC) (U.K.)