...OIL AND GAS LABOUR UNIONS IN NIGERIA: NUPENG AND PENGASSAN INTRODUCTION The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country located in the Western Part of Africa. It was a former British colony and achieved independence in 1960. It is a federal republic constituting of 36 states and 1 federal territory. It has a current population of 155,215,573. It is the most populated country in Africa and the 8th most populated country in the world. The current President of Nigeria is GoodLuck Jonathan. Its capital city is Abuja. Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest exporter of petroleum. It also has the 10th largest proven oil reserves in the world. In 1971, Nigeria joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Petroleum is a very important aspect of the Nigerian Economy. Petroleum accounts for 40% of Gross Domestic Product and 80% of Government earnings. The main oil producing region is the Niger Delta which consists of three states - Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States. However, various problems have afflicted the country preventing it from exporting petroleum at 100% capacity and leading to frequent disruptions. These problems include environmental pollution, human rights violations, poor working conditions and lack of proper investments in the area that would improve the standard of living for the local communities. There are currently two major labour unions in Nigeria that deal with the issues of oil and gas workers: ...
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