Nigeria is on the brink of a fuel scarcity crisis as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has declared its intention to halt the transportation of petroleum products nationwide starting today, February 19.
The decision is attributed to the economic hardship faced by NARTO members, primarily from high operational costs and low freight rates.
In a letter addressed to the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), NARTO’s national president, Yusuf Lawal Othman, outlined the challenges faced by the association in negotiating appropriate and commensurate freight rates with stakeholders in the petroleum industry, including the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN).
Despite efforts to reach a resolution, NARTO claimed to have received no positive responses.
The withdrawal of services by NARTO, which controls over 80 per cent of petroleum transportation in Nigeria, has significant implications for the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country.
The association’s National Executive Council (NEC) has directed its members not to make their petroleum trucks available for loading activities starting February 19, 2024.
The notice of withdrawal was also sent to regulatory bodies, including the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (MMDPRA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the executive secretary of MEMAN.
The association has appealed to its employees, who are members of NUPENG, to cooperate and comply with the directive.
