Indications emerged Tuesday that contrary to the claims of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that there are enough petroleum products to go round in case the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) goes on planned strike, another matter that may lead to scarcity is underway in Lagos.
Otherwise, except urgent steps are taken, Nigerians may soon witness another round of fuel scarcity as the Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG have suspended petroleum products loading across depots in Lagos.
The earlier case which the NNPC had responded to bordered on workers disagreement with a Delta State based oil company (name with held) over what they described as unlawful disengagement of their staff and replacement with expatriate workers without recourse to prevailing quota.
Checks across leading major and independents marketers’ depot in Apapa, showed total compliance to the no-loading directive given to tanker drivers as a way of protesting what they described as high handedness of Naval ratings deployed to order traffic and associated sanity around the vicinity.
Besides, at Ijora and Sunrise depots all in Apapa, Business Hilights observed lengthy stretch of empty tankers waiting for call up along the entire length of Dockyard Road.
Some of the drivers’ who volunteered answers to interviews said they are standing by the directive of their leadership and can only resume load if otherwise, directed.
An official of the PTD who spoke to our correspondent on grounds of anonymity averred that if the federal government fails to intervene and resolve the disagreement between their leadership and the Nigerian Navy, the situation would, before weekend result to scarcity of products and panic buying.
