Petrol tanker drivers begin strike

Tanker drivers on Tuesday embark on strike due to what they called some unfavourable conditions affecting their operations in the state. Tayo Aboyeji, Chairman, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Lagos Zonal Council, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that all the tanker drivers had been turned back to their respective stations. Aboyeji said the strike was necessitated by the fact that trucks were not able to access tank farms due to the activities of other articulated vehicles. He said: “Tankers were directed to come to the tank farms by 10am daily by the Presidential Task Force, but even when we comply, the road is usually not accessible. “Drivers are harassed by area boys (miscreants) who dispose them of their money or leave them maimed while waiting to access the farms.” Aboyeji also decried the deplorable conditions of Lagos roads, saying this had caused most of the accidents involving trucks. “We are fed up with this great loss; the union is calling on government to fix the roads,” the NUPENG chief said. He said the strike would continue until solutions were proffered to the problems.