The leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has promised to cooperate fully with the Lagos State Governor; Mr Akinwunmi Ambode in his quest to rid the Apapa-Oshodi expressway of petroleum tankers.
The Governor who visited Apapa last week Thursday lamented the indiscriminate parking of petroleum tankers and other articulated trucks and also promised to set up a task force to drive the enforcement of traffic and bring immediate relief to businesses, residents and commuters in Apapa.
The leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has promised to cooperate fully with the Lagos State Governor; Mr Akinwunmi Ambode in his quest to rid the Apapa-Oshodi expressway of petroleum tankers.
The Governor who visited Apapa last week Thursday lamented the indiscriminate parking of petroleum tankers and other articulated trucks and also promised to set up a task force to drive the enforcement of traffic and bring immediate relief to businesses, residents and commuters in Apapa.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily however, Secretary General of NUPENG, Mr. Isaac Aberare commended the governor, saying that the move to evacuate all the tankers is a welcome development.
He assured that NUPENG and tanker drivers are law-abiding citizens and the union is prepared to obey all instructions by the government.
He said, "everybody is not happy with the traffic gridlock along the Apapa-Oshodi road which has subjected Lagosians and citizens to stress arising from bumper to bumper hold up on that road"
"So if government should come up with a policy to work with LASTMA and the other agencies to make sure that the roads are cleared, it would be a welcome development, and we members of NUPENG and tanker drivers pledge to cooperate with government to ensure that that policy is achieved" Aberare stated.
He further allayed fears that evacuating the trucks might lead to another round of fuel scarcity, saying that provided the tank farms are dispensing product steadily, there would not be scarcity.
The NUPENG also urged Ambode to create an alternative parking space for the trucks in order to make his directive effective.
He argued that it is not within the purview of NUPENG to acquire loading bay for tankers to park. He condemned tank farm owners and members of the truck owners association that are building tank farms and buying trucks without providing space for holding bays for trucks.
"If the product is available and the depots are loading, there would not be a permanent stationery of trucks on that axis, so there is no point queuing along the road if products are not available"
"Before he clears the road I am sure he must created an alternative arrangement where the tankers will park, pending when they are called to load, so let us experiment with the programme he is trying to introduce, I urge all and sundry to cooperate to ensure that the aim of government is achieved"
"It is the responsibility of the tanker owners, the major marketers and the truck owners to provide a parking space"
"We have partnered with the Lagos State Government to build a truck park at Orile, it was the handiwork of NUPENG, let the marketers and the tank farm owners build their own to complement what we have done at Orile", he stated.
Even though the truck park is not working, he said that tanker drivers cannot be blamed for this.
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