To avert what would have thrown the nation into another round of scarcity of petroleum products, the federal government last week agreed to pay the N2 billion debt allegedly owed B.B. KING OIL (W.A.) Ltd by managements of Mobile Telecommunications (MTEL) and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
The issue has been the subject of a notice of strike which the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) had served on the federal government and for which normal supply of petroleum products was to be suspended by December 11, 2009.
But at an emergency meeting which held last Thursday in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, said since it was court judgment against the two government establishment, the government had no other choice but to pay and pleaded for 11 days to enable the ministry get approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to effect the payment.
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