No Going Back On Strike, Say Lagos Petroleum Tanker Drivers

The National Chairman of Petroleum Tankers Association, Salimonu Oladiti, has said its members are going ahead with the planned strike in Lagos State begining from Monday ( tomorrow) because of alleged inhuman tretament and extortion by security agents as well as hoodlums.

Oladiti said this in an interview with THE WHISTLER in Lagos on Sunday.

He said petroleum tanker drivers had endured extortion as well as dehumanisation from security agents and officials of Lagos State Government agencies for so long.

He said despite reporting these cases to the government on many occasions, nothing had been done to stop them.

Oladiti said PTDA could no longer take these and that was why its members opted to use strike as an option to press home their demands.

The PTDA chairman said the strike would be indefinite, saying the association would not bulge until government addressed the issues which forced them to opt for strike .

He siad, ” We are going ahead with the strike as from tomorrow. We cannot continue to suffer extortion and harassment in the hands of hoodlums and security agents.

” Security agents use taser on our members. Our drivers do not need to be parked because before they come to Lagos, the depots they are going had programmed them to be loaded before they set out but the container trucks would block them from getting to their destinations.

” Upon that , security agents and hoodlums will collect money from them and harass those who do not comply quickly.

“What we are asking for are not something outrageous. We don’t want to be extorted again and if they cannot address that, we are prepared to withdraw our services.”

Recall that the National President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, and the General Secretary, Olawale Afolabi, had in a statement issued on Friday directed tanker drivers to begin withdrawal of their services as from Monday.

The statement reads: “The entire rank and file members of the union are deeply pained, frustrated and agonised by the barrage of these challenges being consistently faced by petroleum tanker drivers in Lagos State.

” We are left with no other option but to direct the withdrawal of their services in Lagos State until the Lagos State Government and other relevant stakeholders address these critical challenges.

“It is sad and disheartening to note here that we made several appeals and reports to the Lagos State Government and the Presidential Task Force for the decongestion of Apapa on these challenges but all to no avail.”