Expdonaloaded News; Fuel scarcity: NUPENG alleges closure of depots to tanker drivers

National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday said the prevailing fuel scarcity might worsen if depot owners should shut their depots to tanker drivers.

The South-West Chairman of the union, Mr. Tokunbo Korodo, told Expdonaloaded blog in Lagos that no tanker driver had loaded petroleum products as at 1.30 p.m. yesterday.
“What I was told was that the independent depot owners may have shut their depots to tanker drivers because of the over N200 billion owed them by the Federal Government.
“The other information I got was that the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association (DAPPMA) is meeting with the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on the subsidy issue.
“I think the outcome of that meeting may determine if DAPPMA will reopen the depots for loading or import more into the country.post by expdonaloaded.blogspot.com..“But as at 1.30 p.m. today (yesterday), none of the union members has loaded fuel from DAPPMA depots in Apapa ,” Korodo said.
He said DAPPMA and major marketers were aggrieved over the yet-to-be settled subsidy claims.
Efforts to contact Secretary General of DAPPMA, Mr. Adewole Olufemi, on the closure of depots failed.
Korodo added that the recent directive by the Lagos State Government for tanker drivers to relocate from the highways within 48 hours had not yielded any result.
He said while tanker drivers had vacated the highways, other heavy-duty vehicles, especially container trucks had taken over.
“The government cannot chase tanker drivers away for other heavy duty vehicles to occupy the space. Lagosians should know that tankers have not been the problem of gridlock in Lagos.
“We occupied the road because we were told to load fuel only at Apapa,” he said.