By Chibisi Ohakah
Abuja
The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) has called on its members to resume use of roads in the South East and South South earlier boycotted as a result of its deplorable nature
The petroleum tankers drivers had threatened to disrupt the lifting and distribution of petroleum product to parts of the South South and South-East and part of the North Central within the two weeks if the government failed to commence the immediate repair of roads in the areas which they said had become death traps for their members.
The roads include Port Harcourt – Eleme junction road, Okigwe— Umuahia, and Jebba— Oloru—Ilorin Roads in Rivers, Abia and Kwara states respectively. The national chairman of PTD, Comrade Salimon Oladiti, had lamented the state of the roads had become too deplorable, pointing out that the Port Harcourt — Eleme Junction road, a distance of just about 10 Kilometers, takes seven to eight hours of maneuvering and meandering by trucks, many of which break down in the process, upturning contents, killing PTD members and endangering the lives of several other Nigerians using the road.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja, Oladiti said that indeed his members had cut off use of those roads after the expiration of the ultimatum, but explained that following the following assurances the union has received from government as well as intervention from well-meaning Nigerians and authorities, they have decided to suspend the strike action
“Expectedly, our members had on the expiration of the ultimatum boycotted these roads and refused to lift products on those axis and for the second week running, the situation is becoming unbearable. We had wanted to extend same action to other parts of the country.
“But after due consideration and wider consultation, in addition to intervention by the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, we have directed our members to resume work in these areas where we had earlier withdrew our services,” Oladiti said
He said the tanker drivers’ union has therefore decided “to give federal government more time to attend to these roads.”
“We have heed the call by the authorities concerned, granted more time as requested with the hope that government would fulfill its part of promise by making these roads motorable whilst we on our part, shall continue to serve the nation and more effectively in the haulage subsector,” the union leader said
He however warned that if the government reneges on its promise, the tanker drivers “may never give further notice of an action.”
