. Parties pledge nationwide availability of petroleum products
Following an intervention by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd., aggrieved truck drivers have agreed to suspend their planned strike.
This is sequel to a stakeholders’ meeting at the instance of the NNPC, which was held yesterday at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.
The drivers were miffed over the non-rehabilitation of the 21 critical roads captured in the N621 billion NNPC Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, and had planned to take nationwide action to grind distribution operations in Nigeria, if urgent measures were not taken.
Those in attendance at the meeting included representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA); NNPC; Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD); Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO); and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
To allay the fears of the stakeholders, NNPC and all parties commit to working together in the monitoring of the road projects.
After long hours of deliberation, the parties in a communiqué resolved as follows:
Road Rehabilitation –
NNPC provided updates on the current status of the road construction and rehabilitation projects under the road infrastructure tax credit scheme and assured the stakeholders (NUPENG, NARTO and PTD) that the funding earmarked for the 21 critical roads will be applied for the intended purpose only.
To allay the fears of the stakeholders, NNPC and all parties commit to working together in the monitoring of the road projects.
Review of freight rate for transporters –
The stakeholders requested for completion of the ongoing discussion on the review of the freight rates to cover operational costs and highlighted the precarious situation that truck owners face in the light of current economic realities.
NMDPRA informed the meeting that a committee has been constituted to review the rates, which includes PTD, NARTO and NUPENG in addition to other stakeholders.
All parties agreed to work expeditiously towards concluding the review of the freight rate and make recommendations to the Government. The Authority is to advise on a definite close-out date during the week of 21st February 2022.
All parties agreed to work closely to ensure efficient distribution of petroleum products across the country.
The communiqué was signed by National Chairman PTD, Akanni Oladiti; NARTO President, Yusuf Otthman; NUPENG President, Williams Akporeha; ED F&A, NMDPRA, Abiodun Adeniji; and Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari
