Abuja, Feb. 19, 2024 – Scarcity of fuel looms across the country from today as the Federal Government is yet to respond to the threat of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to suspended their operations.
Many petrol stations in Lagos and environs have sealed their premises since last weekend due to fuel shortage as some of the fuel trucks had been parked.
Yusuf Othman, the National President of the association, gave notice of the strike in a press statement at the weekend.
The grouse of the association is the high operational costs. According to Othman, what his members’ “spend on operation is more than what we get in both in local and bridging”.
“We will have to suspend operations from now till Monday.
“We cannot continue to operate at a loss. Most people have parked. A lot more are going to the park.
“But from the point of view of the association itself, we are going to suspend operations on Monday.”
Othman said all efforts to get any intervention from the Federal Government had failed.
“We have written letters up to the level of the Chief of Staff. We have written to the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil) I will send you a copy,” he added.
“We have written to DG SSS. We have written to the GCEO. We have written to the
Explaining the situation, Othman said his members had been enduring as the same freight rate that was in force while President Muhammadu Buhari was in government is still subsisting.
According to him, the N32 Lagos to Abuja freight rate that was implemented while the dollar was N650 is still retained now that the dollar is N1,615.
“Everybody is aware that all our consumables in terms of operation are not produced in the country.
“If you have a truck of 40,000 litres, you are talking of N1,280,000-N1,216,000. Less 5% of the amount of N1,280,000 Withholding Tax N64,000. Less than 55,000 loading expenses and 15,000 driver allowance.
“Total expenses N134,000, while balance is N1,146,000. AGO is N1400 for 900 litres, totalling N1260,000.
“There is a total loss of N114,000. The diesel that you use from Lagos to Abuja is 900 litres. So, when you use 900 litres at 1,400, that will be N1,260,000. So, it is by far more than what is paid,” he said. ( GBN)
