NARTO: Why We Resumed Work Hours after Withdrawing Services

NARTO: Why We Resumed Work Hours after Withdrawing Services

By Emmanuel Addeh

The National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has explained why its members resumed work on Tuesday, hours after directing them to withdraw their services nationwide.

The union said the intervention of the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) prompted it to reconsider the action which would have grounded petrol supply throughout the country.

It said that after interactions with the NNPC and DSS, it was satisfied with the commitments from both government bodies, noting that it will now sit down and reach a resolution with stakeholders before January over the matter.

Speaking through its National President, Alhaji Yusuf Othman, in Abuja, the group noted that while it appreciates the additional burden on the roads by the operation of its facilities throughout the country, the sudden decision to ban the tankers was unacceptable.

On Monday, NARTO, the umbrella body of all commercial vehicles owners in Nigeria, engaged in the haulage of petroleum products, general cargoes, and movement of goods and passengers within the country and the West-African sub-region, directed its members to withdraw its services throughout the country.

It said it received with shock the government’s decision to place an immediate ban on all petroleum trucks above 45,000 litres capacity from plying Nigerian roads.

National President of the group, Alhaji Yusuf Othman, noted that many of its members took the initiative which was suggested by the previous government to invest heavily in expanding their fleet of various capacities to deliver products to everywhere in the country, stressing that the ban was without any consultations.

Othman argued that its members took loans from various commercial banks with very high interest rates and with no form of support from government to re-engineer the trucks to the 45,000 and above capacity trucks which the union has been asked to withdraw.

“The new government now wants to impose and introduce a new policy about maximum capacity on our roads. The government is doing so without any consideration for the plights of our members and other attendant effects,” the body lamented.

It noted that though it is is not against the decision of the federal government to ban the use of truck more than 45,000 litres capacity in the conveyance of petroleum products considering the dilapidated state of Nigerian roads, it is particularly concerned about the sudden nature of the ban.

However, in another briefing yesterday, Othman urged members to disregard the initial instruction to stop work, adding that the outcome of its meeting with both the DSS and NNPC lesderships was satisfactory.

He said: “You may recall that yesterday, following an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of our great association, it was resolved that transport owners would park their trucks from 22 to 23 September, 2020.

“This was in protest against federal government’s decision to ban all trucks of over 45,000 litres capacity from loading petroleum products from all depots throughout the country.

“However, following the intervention of the Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPC and the Director-General (DG) DSS, we are hereby directing all our members to resume operation nationwide with immediate effect while negotiation continues.”

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