by Members of the Major Energies Marketers of Nigeria stated that negotiating and fixing the cost of lifting fuel with members of the National Association of Transport Owners would be illegal.
The tanker drivers reportedly parked their trucks on Monday, refusing to lift fuel due to the high cost of operations.
NARTO President, Yusuf Othman, in a letter to truck drivers who are members of other unions and associations, mentioned that NARTO had made several efforts to secure negotiations for appropriate and commensurate freight rates for its operations from all concerned authorities in the industry, especially the major marketers, without any positive result.
However, the major marketers indicated that NARTO’s decision to stop transporting fuel might not significantly affect its members, some of whom now have separate transporters.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Monday, the Executive Secretary of MEMAN, Clement Isong, stated that the association does not have the power to negotiate the cost of transporting fuel, as the law does not permit it.
Isong mentioned that MEMAN members have negotiated the cost of lifting products with transporters of their choice, as allowed by the law.
Regarding the claim that NARTO had tried to negotiate with MEMAN, Isong clarified: “That is not exactly true; the law does not permit us, NARTO and MEMAN, to negotiate transport rates.”
He added, “We are not expected to sit down with NARTO to negotiate and agree prices. If we do that, we’ve broken the law. My members have negotiated with their transporters and have agreed with their transporters.”
Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, expressed that the industrial action would affect all marketers and could lead to fuel scarcity.
The tanker operators on Monday met with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, oil marketers, and other stakeholders to resolve the issues.
Lokpobiri, after the meeting in Abuja, expressed optimism that the concerns raised by the petroleum products’ transporters would be resolved.
Reports indicate that queues are surfacing in some filling stations in Abuja, Kaduna, Ogun, and other states. Many filling stations were still dispensing fuel as of Monday, but there are concerns that the stations would close if the tanker drivers refuse to resume work.
