PENGASSAN stabilised after leadership succession reforms — Osifo

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA —PRESIDENT of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN Comrade Festus Osifo, at the weekend, said the union has resolved the leadership succession issues that once sparked tensions during transitions.

Osifo, who stated this at a memorial event held in Abuja to mark the seventh anniversary of the association’s former President, the late Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson, described the reform as one of the key legacies of his administration.

Johnson died on May 31, 2019, at the National Hospital, Abuja after a brief illness.

The PENGASSAN President said that Johnson’s sudden death initially plunged the union into confusion, but it soon regrouped and carried on with its mission.

According to him:”He passed on suddenly, and PENGASSAN was thrown into some level of confusion. When a leader passes on, you keep running from pillar to post. After his death, we picked ourselves together and have been able to journey on.

“When a leader passes on, what one should do is to look at the positive attributes of such a leader and try to imbibe them because that is the best way to immortalise such leaders. Today, we are here to celebrate the life and times of our past president, Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson.”

Going down memory lane, he noted that PENGASSAN, established in 1978, remains one of Nigeria’s foremost trade unions, bringing together highly skilled professionals from across the oil and gas industry.

“With an assembly of intelligent people, everyone has his or her own ideas, and there will naturally be contestation of ideas. Over the years, this created some teething issues during leadership transitions,” he said.

The PENGASSAN President, who is also President of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, of Nigeria, said the union undertook constitutional reforms to ensure a smoother succession process.

He explained that an amendment unanimously adopted in August last year introduced a succession model similar to that used by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

“Under the model, the office of the president is no longer contested. Instead, members contest for the position of Deputy President, who automatically succeeds to the presidency. This reduces the tension and acrimony that usually accompany leadership transitions,” the PENGASSAN leader said.

He said the new arrangement has already produced positive results ahead of the union’s forthcoming transition in August.

Osifo said: “Ordinarily, two years before a transition, you would begin to see crises everywhere, but that is not the case now. I can tell you there is 100 per cent stability within the union.

“The Central Working Committee (CWC) is intact, the transition is progressing smoothly, and there is no issue whatsoever. That is one of the legacies we will leave behind.”

Osifo added that his administration also hopes to leave a lasting culture of transparency and comradeship within the union.

He added: “My prayer is that the leadership that comes after ours will outshine us in everything we have done. That gives me happiness. PENGASSAN is actually easy to lead because when members know you are doing the right thing, they will support you.”

Meanwhile, former General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, urged Nigerians to embrace selfless leadership, integrity and sacrifice, saying true leadership is measured by service, character and the positive impact leaders leave on society.

Speaking at the same memorial event marking the seventh anniversary of the late Johnson’s passing, Okugbawa said the gathering was not merely to honour an individual but to celebrate a legacy of service and commitment to humanity.

“Great leaders are remembered not by the positions they occupied but by the values they upheld and the lives they transformed,” he said.

He maintained that leadership is not about power or personal gain but about accepting the responsibility to serve others and making decisions that positively shape the lives of followers.

Okugbawa further stressed that enduring leadership cannot exist without sacrifice, noting that every meaningful achievement requires individuals to place collective interests above personal ambition.

“Progress in nations, institutions and communities has always depended on men and women willing to sacrifice personal comfort for the greater good,” he said.

Reflecting on the seven-year remembrance, he urged Nigerians to preserve the values of exemplary leaders by continuing the work they began rather than merely celebrating their memories.

He also challenged citizens to reflect on the legacy they would leave behind.

“Leadership should be measured by impact rather than titles. Influence may be temporary, but integrity endures long after public office has changed hands,” he said.

Okugbawa encouraged Nigerians to lead with humility, courage and selflessness, insisting that leadership should ultimately be measured not by the number of followers one has, but by the number of lives positively transformed through one’s service.

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