Tanker drivers: Before they strike again

By Sola Oluwadare, Lagos - Updated: Tuesday 02-06-2009

Odein Ajumogobia, Minister
of State for Petroleum

THERE is no doubting the fact that petroleum industry is faced with numerous challenges. As President Umar Yar’Adua begins the last two years of his administration, finding solution to some of these problems in this sector of the economy is a serious matter. The approval given last week by the Federal Executive Concil(FEC) for the construction of some major roads in the country is a step in the right direction. But one major obstacle identified by the contracting firm before the construction begins is how to evacuate the tanker drivers on these major roads to make it easy for the work, citing the Lagos Ibadan Expressway as a good example.

It will be recalled that recent fuel scarcity in the country was initially tied to the industrial action embarked upon by the tanker drivers. Of course, other major causes followed, one cannot easily wave the then face off between the drivers and the officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA). It was reported then that with the intervention of President Umaru Yar’Adua, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had to pay a whopping sum of N2.7million as the fine for the 50 trucks impounded by the transport authority for illegal parking.

The Group General Manager, Public Affairs of the NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, said the corporation considered it necessary to wade into the crisis and paid the money so as to avoid activities in the country being paralysed. He added that the step was taken not because of the drivers but because of the impact the situation might have on the economy. But Nigerians especially Lagosians may begin to warm up for another fuel crisis because the situation at the park of the trucks has not really improved.

It is good we look for our black goat in the day light as the tanker drivers have resumed what the Lagos State government referred to as illegal parking again. Today, a visit to Toyota Bus Stop on the Apapa Oshodi Express Way showed that the tanker drivers had started parking on the road again. This time, it would be more embarrassing because the service lane the tankers block leads to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport and National Aviation Handling Company (NACHO). For them to come back and still block the service lane for which they were then penalised a few weeks back, indicated that either the government knew more than they were claiming or the tanker drivers are indeed recalcitrant.

Beside causing fuel scarcity, if their trucks are tampered with, several people interviewed in the vicinity disclosed that activities of the drivers make Apapa end of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway a nightmare to road users that should not be allowed at Toyota Bus Stop. For instance, Mr. Femi Adedeji, who works in that area said, “For those of us working in this area and particularly those with their personal vehicles, we worry that these tankers might bring us hardship as they did in Apapa. The distasteful aspect of the whole thing is that the tanker drivers feel they are above the law and always find it difficult to obey instruction. I count that to be selfishness on their part as they forget that there are others who also ply the service lane.”

Adedeji advised the Lagos state government to promulgate the necessary law that would take care of the tanker drivers, saying it was high time they were kept under control.

The secretary of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Mr. Tayo Abodeji, said parking in the land designated by the Lagos State government was not a problem but the amount the government was ready to charge was the crux of the matter. Abodeji noted that, “Lagos State government is always looking for trouble, the land where they asked us to park our tankers does not belong to them. It is our land. What happened is that they developed the place and has been coming to collect money from us.”

Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, said the state government was committed to making life meaningful for all Lagosians, saying the government would not allow anybody to take law into his or her hands. To him, it is the tanker drivers that are not ready to cooperate with the state government. He said the government of Babatunde Fashola was not leaving any stone unturned to stop carnage on its roads within the state; and whatever might be caused by the tanker drivers was no exception.

As a matter of fact, the effects of the traffic snarl usually experienced on the Apapa Oshodi road cannot be quantified in terms of financial loss to the nation and wasted man hours. This is also the same along Lagos-Ibadan expressway and other locations in the country where tanker drivers usually ply or park. Painfully, private individuals and the nation in general normally pay the price for tanker drivers’ illegal actions. Users of Lagos- Ibadan-Shagamu Expressway would know that the parking situation of the drivers is impacting negatively on the commercial activities on that road.

The president of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Peter Akpatason, said the Federal Government should make its transportation policy a must so as to make roads usable to the tanker drivers.

Akpatason said the drivers were not happy at embarking on strike every now and then because of the deplorable nature of the roads which had led to the death of many tanker drivers, which was one of the challenges, they were being confronted with.

One thing that must be observable is that this ugly situation is not really experienced in advanced countries. If Nigerian government had laid the pipes for supplying fuel products to major cities; as it is done in the advanced oil producing nations, there would have been little or no need for some of these problems being faced by the nation every now and then. The people in the corridor of power need to put on their thinking caps.