By Joshua Yousouph
The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has warned its members against illicit practices such as cargo diversion, bunkering and smuggling of petroleum products. This is even as it noted that the national body will not hesitate to hand over members who are caught in such acts to law enforcement agents.
Speaking during the second quarterly National Executives Council (NEC) and State Chairmen Joint Meeting on Tuesday in Lagos, the National President NARTO, Alhaji Othman Yusuf Lawal reiterated that truck owners under the aegis of NARTO must warn their drivers and motor boys to adhere strictly to the constitution adding such illegalities will not be tolerated.
While stressing the need to protect the name and integrity of the association, Othman stated that transporters who are involved in the movement of cargoes must desist from such practice for the benefit of the association and the nation. He added that the association has internal mechanism to monitor and sanction drivers who engage in such illegal practices.
“There is need for us to ensure that our members are not involved in bunkering, diversion or smuggling of petroleum products across the country, because all these three things are done by trucks and the trucks are driven by drivers who are our members.
“If we avoid these things, it is in our own interest because we have no reason to be involved in all these bad things because it is affecting us and the economy.
Read Also: No Refinery Is Functional In Nigeria – NNPC GMD
“We are devising internal mechanism to tackle this issue which we will not make public. We will not fold our hands and watch. We will ensure enforcement, identify culpable members and hand them over to the government for appropriate punishment” Othman said.
Commenting on the issue of the extortion of truck drivers by state security agencies, Othman informed that talks are ongoing to engage the government to end the anomalies adding that such practices affects their business and investments.
“On the way forward to tackle extortion in the South West, we have direct interface with the state governments. We have tried to do that in the past but did not work out but we will intensify efforts to interface with the state governments” he concluded.
Kindly like us on Facebook
