Even though the two days nationwide strike by the National Road Transport Owners Association (NARTO) has since been shelved, petroleum tankers from different parts of the country are still trouping into Lagos, especially the tank farms in Apapa in order to get products back to their various states.
The long queue of petroleum tankers is gradually generating concerns for road users due to the heavy traffic situation caused along the Apapa- Oshodi express way as well as private vehicle owners who waste a lot of man hours daily in the traffic gridlock.
Even though the two days nationwide strike by the National Road Transport Owners Association (NARTO) has since been shelved, petroleum tankers from different parts of the country are still trouping into Lagos, especially the tank farms in Apapa in order to get products back to their various states.
The long queue of petroleum tankers is gradually generating concerns for road users due to the heavy traffic situation caused along the Apapa- Oshodi express way as well as private vehicle owners who waste a lot of man hours daily in the traffic gridlock.
One of the tanker drivers, Ibrahim Baba who spoke to Shipping Position Weekly correspondent lamented that most of them have been in Lagos for more than one week so as to be on the queue but that they were caught in the web of the strike action and they could not return to Kaduna with empty trucks. According to him, all the supply stations and depots in the North are all filled to full capacity and that there are no more spaces for tankers to queue for the product.
The situation at the depot has also been made worse as men of the task force section of the various unit of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG attached to each of the tank farms have disallowed the petroleum tankers from parking in front of the depots; they insisted that all trucks must go back to the holding bays and this has further caused the trucks to extend to mile 2 thereby causing heavy traffic.
Meanwhile it was gathered that the contending issues which led to the strike are still pending and that the current respite may be short-lived as the executives of NARTO are still in negotiations with the government on how to find possible solutions to the problem.
The union which controls more than 95 percent of the distribution system in the country has always complained of spending too much to fuel their tankers in order to transport petroleum products to different parts of the country.
Shipping Position Weekly correspondent gathered that the reason for the increase in the price of the AGO is because the importers of the product are skeptical on the uncertainty of the crude prices thereby becoming reluctant in supplying huge amount of the product into the market; the situation that led to the shortage of the product.
According to a marketer who spoke to our reporter on the issue: “The diesel is currently partially deregulated in the market, and we have been complaining of unfair treatment in the market, we have urged government to replace the partial deregulation with another workable system” . Also when contacted, National Secretary of NARTO, Barrister Emmanuel Gowon explained that they are still in discussion with the government over the issue.
But another executive of the union, Mr. Ayoola Sadiku told Shipping Position Weekly correspondent that during last weeks’ meeting between NARTO and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, as well as the minister of Labour and Productivity, the NNPC and PPPRA, a committee was been set up to look into the issues.
“A communiqué was issued and the issue of freight rate increase was referred to a committee made up of PPPRA and NARTO, to work out the technical details required for resolving the matter within one week”
According to him “we can be rest assured that the matter will be resolved under this one week” he disclosed, via telephone.
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