By SANI IDRIS ABDULRAHMAN

As the crisis in Nigeria’s petroleum industry intensifies with Dangote refinery’s faceoff with major unions dominating headlines, petrol station workers have raised concerns of neglect, exploitation, and abuse in the sector.

Operating under the Concerned Petrol Station Workers (CPSWs), the group said they were “dying in silence,” in spite of serving as the last link between fuel and millions of Nigerian consumers daily.

In a statement on Sunday in Kaduna by Ibrahim Zango, the workers lamented poor wages, lack of protection, and the harsh conditions they face in discharging their duties nationwide.

“We are the ones who stand under the scorching sun and in the rain to serve millions every day, yet we are treated as if our lives don’t matter,” Zango said.

He added that the workers feared losing their jobs if they complained, even though they remained the engine room of the Nigerian petroleum sector.

Zango lamented that in spite of their critical role in fuel distribution, attendants, security guards, and managers remained among the most underpaid, earning as little as N20,000 to N30,000 monthly, far below living costs.

“How do you survive on N20,000 in today’s Nigeria? We don’t even get allowances or medical support. If you complain, you risk losing your job,” he lamented.

The group said that the workers were often forced to pay for fuel shortages caused by faulty pumps or accounting discrepancies outside their control, further worsening their plight.

Zango highlighted exposure to toxic fumes, robbery attacks, and other hazards without protective gear or insurance, leaving them vulnerable in the face of accidents or emergencies.

“When there is a fire outbreak, robbery, or accident, the owners disappear, and the attendants are left to suffer. We are the unsung heroes of Nigeria’s oil economy,” Zango stated.

According to him, attempts to unionise or demand fair treatment were often met with intimidation, harassment, and threats from petrol station owners seeking to suppress activism.

“Even the law doesn’t seem to protect us. We can’t form unions, and NUPENG has not organised us effectively. We are just on our own,” he alleged.

The CPSWs urged the Federal Government, Ministry of Labour, and Nigeria Labour Congress to include petrol station workers in ongoing petroleum sector reforms.

Their demands include fair wages, improved working conditions, regulated shifts, rest breaks, protective gear, union rights, and effective representation by NUPENG.

“Petrol station workers are not invisible. We are not expendable. We are Nigerians who keep the economy running, often at the expense of our health and dignity,” Zango declared.

He insisted that their voices must no longer be silenced, calling for immediate recognition, respect, and protection for frontline workers in the petroleum sector. (NAN, but headline rejigged)