Victor Ahiuma-Young
7 July 2008
Lagos — BARELY three days to the expiration of a seven-day strike notice issued to the federal government by Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), to address the soaring diesel price and fix the deplorable condition of the nation's public highways including access roads to the refineries, the leadership of NUPENG, has written to federal government intimating it that the union has fully endorsed the impending action and is mobilising all its members nationwide to join the strike should government fail to address the issues of raised.
President of NUPENG, Comrade Peter Akpatason, told Vanguard on telephone that the union had since dispatched letters to the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum), Minister of Labour and Productivity, Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Director-General of State Security Service (SSS), President and General Secretary of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) among others over the imminent strike.
Vanguard had reported the looming industrial action.
According to Comrade Akpatason who is also a national Trustee of NLC, "we have since Thursday written to appropriate government agencies to intimate them about the looming industrial unrest occasioned by government refusal to implement agreements reached with our PTD branch and its officers concerning the soaring diesel price and the deplorable condition of the nation's public highways including access roads to the nation's refineries."
"In the letters which we copied our umbrella body, the NLC, we made the government to understand that NUPENG as a body has not only approved the industrial action being planned by the PTD, we are in total support and are indeed mobilising all our affiliates across the country to actually participate in the strike should government fail to positively address the issues raised.
"We have to approve and endorse the action because of the unacceptable role of government officials and petroleum marketers who sustain the price of diesel or AGO (Automotive Gas Oil) that currently hovers between N150.00 and N170.00 per litre across the country. This is completely unacceptable because as it is today, diesel drives the engine of our industry and national development.
"Another vital issue is the deplorable condition of access roads to the refineries and public highways which has been responsible for most of the accidents involving our members, leading to loss of lives of drivers, petroleum products, trucks, frequent cases of inferno and destruction of properties."
Meanwhile, commuters and other users of ever busy Apapa\Oshodi Expressway have since last week been going through hardship using the road and now waste productive hours as a result of the return of indiscriminate parking of petroleum tankers on the road and on the bridges.
As early as 6 a:m daily, especially during week days, the traffic congestion caused by Tanker drivers who are loading petroleum products reaches Second Rainbow bus stop before close of work in evening.
During the mid-week, the some tankers were parked recklessly up to Otto Wharf bus stop, on top of Kirikiri axis of the Berger bridge, both service lane and part of expressway lane under the Berger bridge stretching to the Ibru Jetty where most of the tank farms are located.
The experience of Motorists last Friday was hectic as both sides of the expressway were completely blocked from the Jetty up to Mile 2.
There are fears that the situation could worsen this week if the appropriate government agencies and others concerned do not find immediate solution to the menace as commuters are already becoming chaotic and hysterical using that axis of the expressway.
Already commercial bus drivers have jacked up their fares because of the long hours spent on the road.
Mini-buses now charge between N100 and N150 during working hours from Oshodi to Mile while those going to Wharf from Oshodi now have to cough out between N150 and N200.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
