Fuel scarcity looms as NARTO threatens to withdraw haulage service

The country may yet witness fresh scarcity of petroleum products as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), on Monday, threatened to withdraw its haulage services if the Federal Government (FG) does not immediately address its rising operation cost

It said members now find it difficult to sustain the business due to the regulated freight rate which is paid in arrears.

The association’s National President, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, who stated this in a statement described the business environment as unbearable.

“Therefore, transporters whose freight rate is fixed and regulated cannot sustain the business if nothing is done.

“We can’t operate. We can’t work if nothing is done to increase the freight rate. The condition is unbearable because of the cost of diesel,” he said.

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He urged the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to urgently increase the freight rate to reflect the present cost of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) diesel and spare parts.

He disclosed that the ex-depot cost of diesel soared to N401 per litre on Monday even as he expressed worry that this might hit N420 per litre at the filling stations if something is not done urgently.

To this end, he called on the NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Farouk Ahmed to urgently convene stakeholders meeting to increase the freight rate and address other pressing issues of cost of operation.

He said: “We are appealing to the CEO of the downstream regulatory agency. He has to sit down with us immediately and ensure that the freight rate is increased to reflect the rising cost of diesel and other spare parts.”

Explaining the rising cost of diesel, Othman revealed: “We have a problem. Today, the price of AGO ex-depot is N401 per litre. It means that in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, it will reach N420 to N430. At the filling station, it will reach like N450.

“It is just to regulate our rising operation cost. It is as simple as that. Otherwise, our people have parked their trucks and more people are going to park.”

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Fuel scarcity looms as NARTO threatens to withdraw haulage service