File photo: Fuel tankers
By Jimitota Onoyume
Petroleum Tanker Drivers, PTD, an arm of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers of Nigeria, NUPENG, has flayed the deplorable state of the Sapele-Benin, Eku-Agbor express roads, handing the Federal Government a one week ultimate to begin work on them.
Flanked by other national and zonal officers of PTD, the first Deputy National Chairman, PTD, Lucky Osesua, who spoke in Warri, Delta State, yesterday, urged Nigerians to join the call on the Federal Government to fix bad federal roads.
He said petroleum tankers were having very bitter experience at the Ologbo portion of the Sapele -Benin express road with many of them stranded at the spot for as much as five days due to the deplorable state of the road.
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He said they would not hesitate to withdraw their tankers from the road if the government failed to move in to start repair work on the road and other similar roads.
He expressed strong worry with the danger of petroleum tankers meandering through bad roads, saying it could cause loss of lives.
“We are here today to give the government one week ultimatum to begin work on the bad express roads here. Our tankers are trapped for days at the bad spots. It is very dangerous for trailers with petroleum products to be struggling through bad roads. We all know the implication of this for other motorists and road users.
“We have met with government on the need to fix the bad roads but nothing concrete came out. This is why we had to come out with this ultimatum. If by the end of the week we don’t see workers fixing the roads, we will ask our tankers to stop lifting of Petroleum product,” he said.
