NUPENG urges NNPC to sustain distribution tempo

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) on Wednesday urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to sustain the current tempo of distribution of petrol to eliminate scarcity in the country.

Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, the South West Chairman of the union, gave the advice in an interview with journalists at the ongoing safety training programme for tanker drivers organised by Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) in Lagos.

He said that improved loading of petrol in different depots in Lagos had resulted in availability of petrol in Lagos and Abuja.

"It is now easy for motorists to enter filling stations and get petrol without spending extra time or money.

"We should give kudos to our Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Ibe Kachukwu, because he is a man of his words.

"We urge the minister to maintain the tempo of the loading so that other states will benefit from the supply. Presently, the situation has improved only in Lagos and Abuja.

"I'm sure if the tempo of loading is maintained, all other states will have enough petrol and scarcity will be eradicated," the NUPENG chairman said.

Korodo said that tanker drivers were impressed by the training organised for them by the PTD leadership, adding that this was the first of it kind.

"I can say specifically that this programme will reduce, if not totally eliminate, the frequent tanker accidents on the highway.

"I am also appealing to other road users to be more careful whenever they see tankers on the highway,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Mr Saheed Adigun, the Deputy Chairman, Lagos Zone, PTD, said the training was to rebrand tanker drivers.

He said that at the end of the training, Nigerians would see a new set of professional tanker drivers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that more than 3,000 tanker drivers across the country are expected to participate in the training programme.