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NUPENG to start prayer session for tanker drivers, threatens strike over bad roads, extortion

As part of measures to ensure a seamless distribution of petroleum products across the country, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on the Federal Government to provide stimulus intervention fund for the truckers hauling petroleum products in the country.

While speaking at the union’s virtual National Executive Council (NEC) on Thursday, the National President of the Union, Comrade Williams Akporeha lamented the dilapidated state of the Nigeria roads, saying the distribution of petroleum products by road is currently endangered by the bad condition of the roads in the country.

Akporeha

He therefore urged the federal to intervene by providing stimulus fund for the petroleum haulage operators in the country.

He said “he said we wish to urgently draw the attention of the Federal Government to the harrowing experiences of the Owners of Petroleum Trucks in the Country. As you all know, the only means of moving petroleum products across the country is by roads, using the trucks.

“We can confidently tell you that this means of distribution is presently endangered and require urgent Federal Government stimulus intervention fund to prevent it from total collapse. A stitch in time saves nine as the saying goes”, Akporeha said. .

Meanwhile, the union has expressed concern over what it called “lackadaisical attitude” of States and Federal Governments to the issues of addressing the degenerating state of Nigeria roads before the coming of the current raining season.

The union said it has warned the states and federal to embark on necessary construction, repairs and maintenance of all roads, lamenting that the roads are now in parlous state and becoming practically impassable.

The union president also decried the rate of extortion of tanker drivers by security agencies on the road, and subsequently gave the federal government 14 days ultimatum to start rehabilitation of the road, stressing that the union may commence industrial action if the government refused to act on the state of the roads and also chide the security agencies and discourage them from extorting tanker drivers.

NUPENG has also called on all members to put green leaf on their tankers from Monday July 6, even as the union sets to commence a two hours prayer for tanker drivers at every loading point and stop over spots, starting from July 13, 2020.  

Akporeha said “most of the nation’s highways are becoming death traps for our members, most especially the highways in the Calabar-Itu-Uyo, Port-harcourt – Aba, Mokwa-Jebba – Kaduna, Port-Harcourt – Owerri, Warri-Benin-Auchi-Okene-Lokoja stretch of the country.

“The issues of bad roads are further compounded by the various security agencies, who now set up multiple check points on these deplorable roads to further exploit and extort money from motorists. Petroleum Tanker Drivers are the worst hit by the exploitative tendencies of these unscrupulous security agencies. The brazen extortion of our members, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic was really disconcerting and unfortunate.

“As a Union, we cannot continue to fold our hands and watch our members, who toil day and night, in the rain, cold and sunshine to make our economy grow to keep suffering like this. In the light of the above, we are giving the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to commence total rehabilitation of these roads to save lives and properties as we can no longer tolerate the current situation of things.

“Immediately address the issue of multiple road blocks and extortions from all its security agents mainly, the Army, Police, Civil Defense Corps, if not addressed, we may be forced to embark on a serious industrial action to drive home our case.

“Enough is enough of these molestation, harassment, exploitation and extortion by these uniformed men. From Monday 6th July all our Tanker Drivers are to commence putting green leaves in front of their trucks and from Monday 13th July we shall commence two (2) hours morning prayers at every loading location and stop over spots for Petroleum Tanker Drivers.

editor

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