Petrol tanker drivers under the umbrella of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) on Tuesday suspended their nationwide strike.
They decided to call off the strike after the National President of NARTO, Othman Yusuf had a meeting with the Minister of State Petroleum resources oil Heineken Lokpobiri.
The meeting which took place in Abuja also had in attendance oil marketers and officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Following Monday’s meeting with the Nigerian Government and stakeholders, tanker drivers had stopped operations and were no longer lifting petroleum products as a result of the challenging economic conditions.
They had also issued a complaint over the astronomical increase in the cost of Automotive Gas Oil also known as diesel which they use in fueling their trucks for the transportation of petroleum products across the country.
The price of diesel has increased in recent times due to the forex crisis in Nigeria with a litre of the product now selling above N1,250.
The tanker drivers, therefore, heeded the directive of NARTO’s National President, Yusuf, to withdraw their trucks with effect from Monday, February 19, 2024.
Yusuf had issued the directive in a letter dated Thursday, February 15 and addressed to the General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG).
However, after embarking on the nationwide strike which lasted for 24 hours, the petrol tanker drivers have decided to make a U-turn as directed by Yusuf.
“We agreed to suspend and withdraw the action and we commence operations immediately,” Yusuf said on Tuesday.
