The Concerned Petrol Station Workers have called on the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to provide health insurance coverage for petrol station employees, including pump attendants, cleaners, security personnel, and managers across the downstream petroleum sector.
The appeal followed the recent launch of a health insurance scheme by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for workers in its retail outlets nationwide, a development labour advocates described as timely and commendable.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Kaduna, the convener of the group, Mr. Ibrahim Zango, urged IPMAN to emulate the NNPCL initiative in order to protect workers employed by independent marketers, noting that health risks in the sector cut across ownership structures.
Mr. Zango said petrol station workers are routinely exposed to occupational hazards such as toxic fuel fumes, fire outbreaks, and long working hours, making access to healthcare protection essential rather than optional.
“These workers deserve adequate protection regardless of whether they are employed by NNPCL outlets or independent marketers. Their lives are equally important, and their contributions keep the sector running,” he said.
He stressed that health insurance should be treated as a fundamental labour right, particularly in an industry with high occupational risks, warning that the absence of coverage undermines both productivity and worker dignity.
Mr. Zango also noted that rising healthcare costs, coupled with prevailing economic hardship, have worsened the vulnerability of petrol station workers, many of whom earn modest wages.
“Healthcare costs are rising, and one illness can wipe out a worker’s entire income,” he said.
He called on IPMAN to take immediate and concrete steps to extend health insurance coverage to workers under its membership nationwide.
