PENGASSAN gets new president, vows to fight casualisation
August 22, 2026 8:26 pm
A new era began for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on Saturday as Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro emerged as the new President of the association, succeeding Festus Osifo after six years at the helm.
But Olabiyi-Agoro, in his first major address after assuming office, signalled that the battle against prolonged contract staffing and casualisation in the oil and gas industry would be a defining priority of his administration.
He was unveiled alongside nine other national officers at the end of the association’s Quadrennial National Delegates Conference held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, after the Petroleum and Energy Advancement and Leadership Summit 2026.
PUNCH Online reports that the new PENGASSAN President, a petroleum engineer and labour leader with over 20 years’ experience in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, currently works with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
He previously worked with Baker Hughes and EA Temile and Sons, where he held technical and operational leadership roles.
Before he was elected president, Olabiyi-Agoro served in several union leadership positions, including Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Oyo State Council; National Financial Secretary of PENGASSAN from 2022 to 2023; National Auditor from 2020 to 2022; and Chairman of the Baker Hughes PENGASSAN Branch from 2016 to 2020.
At the conference, the only contested position was that of National Auditor I, where Rex Orji of Indorama Petrochemical Company defeated Ese Okusi, polling 254 votes against 84.
George Nwoko emerged Deputy President; Dominic Abang, National Industrial Relations Officer; Amaoge Chukwudi, National Treasurer; Tijani Oyabure, National Financial Secretary; Lavin Aghaunor, National Public Relations Officer; Ada Maryam Mbanaso, National Chairperson, PENGASSAN Women Commission; Chidinma Anyanwu, National Secretary, PWC; while Muhammad Sani Ismail emerged National Auditor II.
In his acceptance speech, Olabiyi paid tribute to Osifo, describing the outgoing PENGASSAN president and Trade Union Congress President as a leader whose tenure strengthened the association’s influence within the oil and gas industry.
He said, “I must pay tribute to the man whose shoes I am privileged to step into, Comrade Festus Osifo, leader, builder, and fighter. Under your tenure, PENGASSAN became stronger, more respected, and more feared by those who seek to exploit our members.”
Olabiyi added, “You defended jobs during divestments, you fought for an unprecedented CBA and its implementation, and you gave PENGASSAN a voice at the highest tables in 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.”
The new president, however, said his administration would face the realities confronting workers in an industry undergoing divestments, restructuring, automation and the global energy transition.
He said job protection would form the first pillar of his administration.
“In this era of divestments, business reorganisation, automation, and energy transition, no PENGASSAN member will be left behind. We will negotiate just transition agreements, retraining, and redeployment as we go into any form of discussion that surrounds the protection of jobs,” Olabiyi said.
He also promised to defend collective bargaining agreements, warning employers against signing agreements without implementing them.
According to him, “Agreements signed must be agreements kept. We will work with management not as enemies, but as partners with different roles. Where there is fairness, we will collaborate. Where there is injustice, we will resist, peacefully, lawfully, and powerfully.”
Olabiyi further argued that workers who had spent several years performing permanent functions should not continue to be classified as temporary staff.
He said, “A job that someone has been doing for over two years, five years, 10 years, even 20 years or more cannot be categorised as a temporary position anymore. The time management uses contract staffing strategy to molest workers, to cause marginalisation and save cost is effectively over.”
He added that the union would investigate the practice, describing it as increasingly becoming a health and safety concern.
“This is becoming a health and safety matter in our various locations and offices, and we will interrogate this matter with every resource available to us,” he said.
The new PENGASSAN leadership also pledged to invest in digital skills, leadership development, women’s empowerment and the welfare of workers as the energy industry evolves.
Olabiyi said the association would pursue collaboration with government and industry while remaining firm on workers’ rights.
“We are not anti-business. We are pro-Nigeria. We want production up, investment in, and Nigerian content protected. But that can only happen when workers are respected and treated fairly,” he declared.
Damilola Aina is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over five years of experience covering energy, business, investment, infrastructure, and property sectors. He specializes in producing well-researched and insightful reports that inform readers and provide clarity on complex topics. Damilola’s work demonstrates practical newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a strong commitment to accurate and engaging journalism.
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