FG, NARTO Meeting Deadlocked, Tanker Drivers’ Strike Begins

The meeting of the Federal Government, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and other stakeholders on Monday ended with no agreement reached. The meeting was called by the government over the suspension of operations by tanker drivers who stopped lifting of petroleum products on Monday amid harsh economic realities.

But the Minister of State for Petroleum Heineken Lokpobiri said the engagement will continue on Tuesday as the government would not fold its arms and allow Nigerians to go through more hardship as being witnessed.

He explained that the Tinubu-led administration is working round the clock to address the current economic challenges in the country.

There are indications that the NARTO leadership and other stakeholders within the oil and gas sector are billed to meet with the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for another meeting later on Monday night to avert the imminent fuel scarcity.

NARTO members had threatened shutdown all over the country beginning Monday over the high cost of Automotive Gas Oil also known as diesel which is used to fuel their trucks for the movement of petroleum products across Nigeria.

Like Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol which now sells at over N600 per litre, the price of diesel has skyrocketed of late, no thanks to the forex crisis in the country. At the moment, diesel sells above N1,250 per litre in Nigeria.