Nigeria may be plunged into another round of fuel scarcity crisis as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has directed petroleum truck drivers to withdraw their services from today. National President, NARTO, Yusuf Lawal Othman, in a letter dated February 15, 2024, to the General Secretary, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), which was made available to New Telegraph yesterday, decried the excrutiating challennges petroleum truck owners were facing with the high operational costs in the industry. The letter was copied to: ACE, Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency, Director, Department of State Services and Executive Secretary, Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN).
The letter read in part: “We are deeply constrained to seek the support and understanding of your union and members towards the excruciating challenges Petroleum Trucks Owners are facing with the high operational cost in the industry. “As you are already aware of several efforts we have made to secure negotiations of appropriate and commensurate rates for our operations from all conceivable authorities concerned in the industry, most especially the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria but which have received no positive responses from them, we have no other options but write to inform you that the NARTO National Executive Council (NEC) has resolved to direct all our members not to make their petroleum trucks available for petroleum products loading activities with effect from Monday, February 19, 2024.
“In the light of this directive, we implore all our employees (petroleum truck drivers), who are your members, to show maximum cooperation, support and understanding to our collective efforts for continued sustainability of the petroleum haulage business and effective service delivery by ensuring adequate and immediate compliance. “There is definitely no way we can continue in this business within the context of the current economic situation in the country
