The National Leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has announced it will set up a trust fund in collaboration with other social partners to fund the training of the children of its late President, Francis Olabode Johnson.

Acting President of the Union, Comrade Frank Esanubi, disclosed this when the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, William Alo led the management of the Ministry on a condolence visit to the union.

Esanubi said details of the arrangements would be made known to the social partners in due course and assured that the union would do everything it could to maintain the industrial peace that Johnson left behind.

He said the leadership of the union had met to discuss how to take care of the family, saying “there will be a trust fund to cater for the education of the children to tertiary level. We promised to do our best to see that the family will not feel any material need”.

Esanubi described the late Johnson as a great and humble man, who was versed in the ability to maintain relationships.

Alo described the late PENGASSAN President, as a stabilising factor during industrial actions.

He said the leadership style of the late president brought good industrial relations that helped the ministry in the time past, saying “I call him the stabilising person because through out his stay we had peace concerning the union”

He said the death of the PENGASSAN President came as a shock to the ministry, adding that even though death is inevitable as everyone must taste it, saying “We strongly believe that the time for Johnson to answer the call has come; we have no doubt in our hearts that he is in heaven”.

Alo described Johnson as a dependable ally of the Ministry, whose support and contribution assisted the Ministry in achieving its mandate of maintaining industrial peace and harmony in the country.

According to him: “The late PENGASSAN President employed his wealth of experience and administrative ingenuity in bringing about good industrial relations that have stabilized the sector.”

He appealed to the union not to allow the family to suffer and promised on behalf of the ministry to do all they could to support the family and appealed to them to the union leadership to maintain the industrial peace that late Johnson left behind.