Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
THE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has elected Comrade Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro as its new National President, marking a significant transition in the leadership of the influential oil and gas union.
Olabiyi-Agoro, a distinguished petroleum engineer with over two decades of experience, was elected at the association’s 1st Quadrennial National Delegate Conference held in Abuja on Saturday. He succeeds Comrade Festus Osifo, who has led the association for the past six years.
In his acceptance speech, the new president paid a glowing tribute to his predecessor, describing Osifo as a “leader, builder and fighter” who laid a solid foundation for the union.
“Under your tenure, PENGASSAN became stronger, more respected, and more feared by those who seek to exploit our members,” Olabiyi-Agoro said. “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”.
In a striking personal address, Olabiyi-Agoro acknowledged his predecessor’s personal support, declaring himself “the first legacy of Festus Osifo” for his backing during a difficult period in his career.
A Five-Point Agenda for the Future
Immediately setting out his stall, the new president announced a 5-point agenda focused on: protecting jobs and driving membership; defending Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA); enhancing training and women’s empowerment; improving staff welfare and stakeholder management; and building a stronger, united PENGASSAN.
A primary target of his administration is the endemic issue of contract staffing and casualisation in the sector. He declared that workers who have performed the same role for years cannot be classified as temporary employees.
“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,” he stated, warning that this practice is becoming a health and safety matter.
Olabiyi-Agoro pledged that no member would be left behind during industry changes, vowing to negotiate just transition agreements, retraining, and redeployment in the face of divestments, automation, and the global energy transition . “Agreements signed must be agreements kept,” he insisted.
A Leader with Deep Industry Roots
Comrade Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro brings a wealth of technical and industrial relations experience to the role. He currently works with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and previously built his technical career with industry giants like Baker Hughes and EA Temile and Sons.
He holds an M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Aberdeen, a Post Graduate Certificate in Computing from London Metropolitan University, and a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
New Executive Team Elected
Alongside Olabiyi-Agoro, other national officers elected include George Nwoko as Deputy President, Dominic Abang as National Industrial Relations Officer (IRO), and Lavin Aghaunor as National Public Relations Officer . The conference saw mostly unopposed elections, with the exception of the National Auditor 1 position.
Taking the weight of the office seriously, the new president addressed the delegates directly: “It is the weight of a single father in Warri waiting for his salary. It is the weight of an engineer in Port Harcourt fighting for fairness. It is the weight of a young graduate in Lagos looking for job security”.
