Petroleum tankers drivers begin strike

Petroleum Tanker Drivers in Lagos State have withdrawn their services as directed by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) beginning from Aug. 10. The state Chairman, NUPENG, Mr Tayo Aboyeji made the confirmation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.mAboyeji said that the strike began in the early hours of Aug. 10, following negotiation breakdown between the state government and the union.

“Although, we met with the state government yesterday night (Aug. 9), yet we could not reach an agreement. So, only the tanker drivers in Lagos State proceeded with the strike, because the environment is not conducive for tankers to operate,’’ he said.

NAN reports that NUPENG had on Aug. 7 directed its members to down tools with effect from Aug. 10. NUPENG’s National President, Mr Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Mr Olawale Afolabi had in a joint statement said the directive became necessary due to failure of various authorities in the state to address some pending issues. The issues include extortion of money from the drivers by various security agents; the menace of containerised trucks at Apapa, Kirikiri and Beach Land axis areas of the state. Others are harassment and extortion by area boys as well as area god-fathers as part of the challenges.