The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), has directed its members to begin a nationwide strike on Thursday.

According to PENGASSAN Acting General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the strike will affect all sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry.

Okugbawa said the strike action became inevitable after the association tried to engage the Nigerian Government in a dialogue, which ended inconclusive.

The group has asked the Nigerian government to address the issues being faced by the oil industry.

Just Last month, PENGASSAN had threatened a strike action over the retrenchment of some of its members by oil companies.

The group had given the Nigerian government a seven-day ultimatum to wade into the matter or face total strike action.

Over the past few months, oil companies have laid off thousands, cut production and even closed operations as they struggle with Nigeria’s ailing economy.

Nigeria, which is Africa’s biggest economy and top oil producer, has been hit hard by the slump in oil revenues, its lifeblood.

The country relies on crude sales for about 70 percent of its government revenues.