Tanker Drivers Threaten Strike over Seizure of Diesel-laden Trucks by IGP’s Taskforce

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The national secretariat of the Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers ( NUPENG ) has threatened to call on its members to withdraw their trucks from the depots.
National Chairman of the union, Augustine Egbon, in a statement issued in  Abuja, said the action was to protest what he said were the excesses of the taskforce set up by the office of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

As part of its resolutions at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the union had  urged the IGP to curb the high-handedness of its task force on petroleum products impounding tankers on federal highways.
Egbon recalled that two trucks loaded with Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) otherwise called diesel were wrongly impounded by the taskforce between July and August in Funtua, Katsina State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The PTD National Chairman further revealed in the statement that despite documents presented to the taskforce to show the  depots  where the products were loaded and evidence of genuine certification by the statutory regulatory agencies, the IGP’s office has  ignored the evidence and has  refused to release the trucks.
“The truck with registration number, GRY 155XA loaded 49,000 litres of AGO at Prudent Energy Limited in Oghara, Delta State. The destination was Sokoto but it was impounded in Funtua, Katsina, State  on July 31, 2024.

“The second truck with registration number, TWD272XA, with 45,000 litres of AGO loaded the products at Integrated Oil & Gas in Apapa, Lagos. Its destination was Yobe State before it was impounded in August  in Abuja,” the tanker drivers said.
Egbon expressed dis-affection that in spite of the fact that samples of the products from the two trucks were certified by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) the police have  remained adamant and declined to release the loaded trucks.

The PTD national chairman who recalled several representations to the office of the IGP, said his union is being pushed to the wall with no other option than to ask its members to withdraw their services.

“We have presented authentic documents to the police that the products were genuine and the point of loading. The  IGP office has  continued to ignore us.

“At our last NEC meeting, we issued a deadline to them, demanding for the release of the impounded trucks and a stoppage to the continued harassment of our members.

“We have been making our contributions to assist the federal government in its genuine efforts to make petroleum products available and ease the sufferings of Nigerians.

“It is unfortunate that the office of the IGP is unmindful of the threat that the excesses of its men constitute to the federal government determined efforts to promote effective distribution of petroleum products and peace in the industry.

“We are giving  another two weeks notice. Failure to heed our demand by the office of the IGP, we will stop loading of products  from  the depots,” the union threatened.