NARTO, Tanker Drivers Suspend Planned Strike After NNPC’s Intervention

By Rosemary Nwachukwu

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union (PTD) have announced the suspension of the proposed strike action following the intervention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC).

The decision to suspend the strike was reached on Thursday night after a meeting was held with the two unions, and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) by the management of the NNPC led by Mele Kyari. group managing director/chief executive officer.

NARTO had last week threatened to withdraw haulage service should the Federal Government fail to urgently address the rising cost of operation that its members are facing.

Top on the list, according to the union, is the ever-increasing cost of diesel, which petrol tankers run on and which is part of the determinants of freight charges. The cost of diesel presently is N430 per litre.

The association’s National President, Yusuf Lawal Othman, had in a statement, stated that his members now find it difficult to remain afloat because of the high freight rate, which is regulated and paid in arrears.

He insisted that members would be advised to ground their haulage tankers if nothing was done to address the matter, describing the business environment as scorching and unbearable.

“Our people have parked their trucks and more people are going to park theirs,” he had said.

The NNPC Ltd had in a bid to address some of the concerns raised by the unions commenced the rehabilitation of various road projects under the tax credit scheme

The Corporation expressed interest to invest in the reconstruction of selected federal roads in order to sustain a smooth supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.

The road construction project estimated to gulp N621bn is being executed under the tax credit scheme in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s executive order 7.

– The Witness