Jumoke Olasunkanmi
Nigerians are set to witness another wave of petrol scarcity as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) announces the withdrawal of operations starting Monday, February 19th.
In a letter addressed to the General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), NARTO’s National President, Yusuf Lawal Othman, stated that NARTO’s National Executive Council has directed all its members to withhold their petroleum trucks from loading activities.
“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 the continued sustainability of the Petroleum Haulage business and effective service delivery by ensuring adequate and immediate compliance,” NARTO’ letter read.
The decision, Othman claims comes amidst the challenging economic climate in Nigeria, with rising costs and inflationary pressures impacting various sectors.
“There is no way we can continue in this business within the context of the current economic situation in the Country”, the statement stressed.
NARTO noted that it has made an effort to negotiate fair freight rates with relevant authorities in the industry, including the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, but lamented the lack of positive responses.
It added, “As you are already aware of several efforts we have made to secure negotiations for appropriate and commensurate Freight 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.”
