Fuel Scarcity looms as NARTO orders withdrawal of service over COVID-19
Ranmilowo Ojalumo
As Coronavirus has continued to spread in Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has directed its employees across the country, who are majorly the truck drivers to keep away from the depots and stay at home from Friday 27th March, 2020, pending the situation is brought under control.
The association said the directive is part of measure to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country and as well ensure the safety of its members.
About 85% of the petroleum taker owners in Nigeria, It should be noted, are NARTO members.
The association made this known in a press statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its President, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman. The statement was obtained by The Factual on Wednesday.
According to the association, the directive is in compliance with the order of the federal government, banning every gathering above 50 people across the country.
The association said the depots in the country are places of beehives of activities containing more than 500 people at one time and if the association must comply with the directive of avoiding gathering of more than 50 people at a time and also help the country to curtail the fast spreading of the diseases, the withdrawal of services became a necessity.
The statement reads in parts: “As you are not doubt aware, the Federal Government has taken a number of measures to manage the identified cases of COVID-19 and curtail its spread. The national leadership of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owner (NARTO), which is the umbrella organization of all commercial transport owners in the country, being genuinely concerned about the safety and health of all its employees, who are continuously in the service of our fatherland, owes it a duty to take all necessary steps to minimize their exposure to the deadly virus and thus joined the Nigerian health authorities to curtail the spread of the disease in our country.
“At this daring time, NARTO would continue to monitor the trend of events as we also consider the safety and welfare of our employees who form the vulnerable and integral part of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.
“In its determination to control the spread of the disease, the federal government has banned all public meetings above 50 people in any one place. In compliance with this directive, we have similarly directed all our employees (tanker drivers) to keep away from the depots and stay at home from Friday 27th March, 2020, pending when the situation is brought under control. This action is necessitated by the fact that our loading depots across the country are places of beehives of activities containing more than 500 persons at any one time.
“Our workers should be rest assured that the national leadership of NARTO would stand by them at this critical moment as we equally implore them to be of good conduct and law abiding.
“We join millions of our country men and women in prayers against the continued proliferation of the disease throughout the world and, are confident in the capacity of our health institutions to address the challenges which covid-19 poses to our country and humanity as a whole”.
