Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has elected Comrade Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro as its new National President, with a pledge to intensify the fight against contract staffing and the casualisation of workers in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Olabiyi, who emerged alongside other national officers at the association’s First Quadrennial National Delegate Conference held in Abuja on Saturday, said his administration would not allow workers to remain in “temporary” employment for years while being denied the benefits and protections attached to permanent employment.
The new PENGASSAN president, in his acceptance speech, described contract staffing and casualisation as a growing menace in the oil and gas sector, warning that the practice was increasingly becoming a workplace health, safety and welfare concern.
He said: “We are not averse to contract staffing but it must be practised the way it is done everywhere in the world.”
“A job that someone has been doing for over two years, five years, 10 years, even 20 years or more cannot be categorised as temporary position anymore.”
According to him, the era in which managements use contract staffing to “molest workers, cause marginalisation and save cost” must end.
He said his administration would interrogate the practice using every resource available to the association.
Olabiyi, a petroleum engineer and industrial relations strategist with over 20 years of experience in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, succeeds Comrade Festus Osifo, who served as PENGASSAN president from 2020 to 2026.
Before his election, Olabiyi served as National Financial Secretary of PENGASSAN between 2022 and 2023, National Auditor from 2020 to 2022 and Chairman of the Baker Hughes PENGASSAN Branch from 2016 to 2020.
He is also the current Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Oyo State Council.
He currently works with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), having previously worked with Baker Hughes and EA Temile and Sons.
Olabiyi holds a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom; a Post Graduate Certificate in Computing from London Metropolitan University; and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.
Five-point agenda
Speaking after his emergence as the new President, Olabiyi outlined a five-point agenda which he said would guide the new administration.
He listed the priorities as protection of jobs and membership drive; defence of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and strengthening industrial relations; training, women empowerment, staff welfare and stakeholder management; building a stronger and united PENGASSAN; and enhancing the association’s public image.
On job security, he said PENGASSAN would negotiate for just transition agreements, retraining and redeployment for workers affected by divestments, business reorganisation, automation and the energy transition.
“No PENGASSAN member will be left behind,” he declared, while noting that the rising activities in the oil and gas sector and increasing recruitment by some companies offered hope for workers.
He also pledged to ensure that agreements reached between workers and employers were implemented, stressing that “agreements signed must be agreements kept.”
The new president said his administration would engage management as partners rather than enemies, promising collaboration where there was fairness and resistance, through lawful and peaceful means, where workers were subjected to injustice.
Olabiyi also promised to make PENGASSAN more future-ready through investment in digital skills, leadership training and mentorship.
He said women and young professionals would have a seat at decision-making tables, particularly as the industry navigates the future of oil, gas and renewable energy.
He further pledged to improve staff welfare and remuneration while maintaining an open relationship with the media and other stakeholders.
On internal unity, the new president promised to sustain the relative peace and cohesion achieved under the Osifo administration, while reaching out to aggrieved members willing to reconcile with the association.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are PENGASSAN and we must stand together,” he said.
Olabiyi also pledged to build on the association’s social and community interventions, saying PENGASSAN must become “far more than just a trade union” and remain relevant to Nigerians and the communities where its members operate.
The new president paid glowing tribute to his predecessor, describing Osifo as a “leader, builder and fighter” who left PENGASSAN stronger and more influential.
He credited Osifo with defending jobs during divestments, securing unprecedented CBAs and their implementation, and giving PENGASSAN a stronger voice at the highest levels of government.
“Comrade, on behalf of over 30,000 PENGASSAN members, I say thank you. Your legacy is our foundation, and we will carefully and consciously build upon it to the benefit of our members, Nigerian workers and the country at large,” he said.
In a personal tribute, Olabiyi described himself as one of Osifo’s major legacies, recalling that the former PENGASSAN president stood by him when he was “down and almost out” and was prepared to stake his own reputation and achievements in defence of his job.
He pledged that the new administration would build on Osifo’s foundation rather than dismantle it.
Addressing government and management, Olabiyi said PENGASSAN was not opposed to business or investment, but insisted that economic growth must be accompanied by respect for workers’ rights.
“We are not anti-business. We are pro-Nigeria. We want production up, investment in, and Nigerian content protected,” he said.
He urged government and employers to engage the union early in resolving industrial issues before they degenerated into crises, stressing the need for mutual respect and adherence to agreed rules of engagement.
“We will be proactive, we will collaborate with you in good faith and with sincerity of purpose,” he pledged
The election marks the beginning of a new leadership phase for PENGASSAN, with Olabiyi pledging to combine continuity with stronger advocacy for job security, workers’ welfare, industrial justice and the future of Nigeria’s energy workforce.
He calles for the support and solidarity of members, saying: “Together, everyone achieves more.”
Other officers elected at the conference are George Nwoko, Deputy President; Dominic Abang, National Industrial Relations Officer; Amaoge Chukwudi, National Treasurer; Tijani Oyabure, National Financial Secretary; and Lavin Aghaunor, National Public Relations Officer.
Others are Ada Maryam Mbanaso, National Chairperson, PENGASSAN Women Commission; Chidinma Anyanwu, National Secretary, PWC; Rex Orji, National Auditor I; and Muhammad Sani Ismail, National Auditor II.
The only position contested was that of National Auditor I, where Orji of Indorama Petrochemical Company defeated Ese Okusi by 254 votes to 84.
