High cost of diesel: NATO suspends nationwide strike

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has suspended its planned nationwide strike.

Followed Monday’s meeting with the Federal Government and stakeholders after tanker drivers suspended operations and stopped lifting of petroleum products amid harsh economic realities.

NARTO National President of NARTO, Othman Yusuf, has therefore directed its members to immediately resume petroleum loading activities after a meeting held in Abuja.
The meeting it was gathered was attended by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, with NARTO, oil marketers and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA).

NARTO members had threatened shutdown all over the country beginning Monday over the high cost of Automotive Gas Oil also known as diesel which is used to fuel their trucks for the movement of petroleum products across Nigeria.

The association explained that the decision to withdraw its operation was due to the high operational costs in the industry.

Like Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol which now sells at over N600 per litre, the price of diesel has skyrocketed of late, no thanks to the forex crisis in the country. At the moment, diesel sells above N1,250 per liter in Nigeria.