Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Fuel queues emerged in Lagos as the meeting between the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and officials of the federal government over the suspension of petroleum product loading activities ended in a deadlock on Monday.
The meeting held in Abuja yesterday night was attended by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, with NARTO, as well as oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA).
NARTO had in a letter dated February 15, addressed to the General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and signed by its National President, Mr Othman Yusuf, directed its members to withdraw their trucks from petroleum product loading activities with effect from Monday, February 19.
The association noted that the decision to withdraw its operation was due to the high operational costs in the industry.
The association had recently raised concern over the high cost of diesel required to power its trucks for the transportation of petroleum products across the country.
Drivers in Lagos have also hiked their bus fares by as much as 75 per cent.
Business Post gathered from two commercial drivers that this is caused by the current situation in the country.
“Buying fuel is so hard now, take me for instance I have been in the queue since 7 and I got fuel late. I have also lost money by being there and somehow I must make my money back,” Isiaka, a driver playing the Bariga route in Lagos told this newspaper.
