Nigerian tanker drivers on Tuesday suspended the supply of petrol to Abuja in protest against the state of the country’s roads, especially in and around the nation’s capital, their union said.
The drivers’ action followed the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum that their union, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), gave government to take steps to fix the bad roads, NUPENG’s secretary general Elijah Okougbo told AFP.
“We have embargoed indefinitely fuel supply to Abuja. With effect from today, there will be no supplies. The action is directed at government’s failure to repair the bad roads which are claiming lives daily,” he said.
The move will not affect fuel supplies to other parts of the country.
In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and world’s eight largest oil exporter, petroleum products are mostly delivered by truck drivers.
“People are dying on the bad roads, people are losing their limbs, petroleum products are being spilled and people are being kidnapped when their vehicles slow down where roads are bad,” he added.
A spokesman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the nation’s central labour movement, said he was unaware the tanker drivers have suspended delivery of fuel to Abuja ahead of a tripartite meeting.
“Government officials, representatives of the NLC and NUPENG are scheduled to meet Wednesday, as a follow-up to a similar meeting held two weeks ago on the issue,” Denja Yacoub told AFP.
Okougbo accused the NLC of not doing enough to tackle government on the issue of social infrastructure.
A senior government official, who demanded anonymity, said he was unaware of the drivers’ action and confirmed a meeting with NUPENG on Wednesday.