The association’s National President, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, who stated this in a statement described the business environment as unbearable.
“Therefore, transporters whose freight rate is fixed and regulated cannot sustain the business if nothing is done.
“We can’t operate. We can’t work if nothing is done to increase the freight rate. The condition is unbearable because of the cost of diesel,” he said.
He urged the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to urgently increase the freight rate to reflect the present cost of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) diesel and spare parts.
He disclosed that the ex-depot cost of diesel soared to N401 per litre on Monday even as he expressed worry that this might hit N420 per litre at the filling stations if something is not done urgently.
To this end, he called on the NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Farouk Ahmed to urgently convene stakeholders meeting to increase the freight rate and address other pressing issues of cost of operation.
He said: “We are appealing to the CEO of the downstream regulatory agency. He has to sit down with us immediately and ensure that the freight rate is increased to reflect the rising cost of diesel and other spare parts.”
Explaining the rising cost of diesel, Othman revealed: “We have a problem. Today, the price of AGO ex-depot is N401 per litre. It means that in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, it will reach N420 to N430. At the filling station, it will reach like N450. – Tribune February 7, 2022
In a statement made available in Abuja, the association’s National President, Yusuf Othman, lamented that members of the association were finding it difficult to sustain the business because the freight rate is still very regulated.
According to him, the situation was even made worse because the monies were paid in arrears, adding that the transport owners would have no choice than to stop their services if the issue persists.
“And then we will also tell them (members) to park if nothing is done because we can’t operate in such a way. Transporters whose freight rate is fixed and regulated cannot sustain the business if nothing is done.
“We can’t operate. We can’t work if nothing is done to increase the freight rate. The condition is unbearable because of the rising cost of diesel,” he maintained.
Describing the business environment as unbearable, Othman urged the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to urgently increase the freight rate to reflect the present cost of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) diesel and spare parts.
He disclosed that the ex-depot cost of diesel soared to N401 per litre just on Monday, pointing out that the price may hit N420 per litre at the filling stations if something is not done urgently.
The National President of NARTO called on the NMDPRA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mallam Farouk Ahmed, to urgently convene a stakeholders’ meeting to increase the freight rate and address other pressing issues of cost of operation.
“We are appealing to the CEO of the downstream regulatory agency. He has to sit down with us immediately and ensure that the freight rate is increased to reflect the rising cost of diesel and other spare parts,” he noted.
Othman added: “We have a problem. Today, the price of AGO ex-depot is N401 per litre. It means that in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, it will reach N420 to N430. At the filling station it will reach like N450.”
Othman stated that NARTO could not fix the rate arbitrarily, explaining that the authorities should act as quickly as possible to avert any situation that may lead to a strike.
“I cannot fix the rate. If I talk now the price will be higher. It is just to regulate our rising operation cost. It is as simple as that. Otherwise, our people have parked their trucks and more people are going to park – Vanguard February 8, 2022
The National President, NARTO, Yusuf Othman, told journalists in Abuja on Monday that “our people have parked their trucks and more people are going to park (theirs).” – The Punch February 8, 2022
This is as Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has threatened to stop the haulage of petroleum products across the country over N430 per litre cost of diesel and other operational challenges.
NARTO national president, Yusuf Lawal Othman, stated in Abuja yesterday that the operational cost had become unbearable and would in the coming week cripple haulage of products unless the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) moves urgently to increase the freight rate for transporting fuel to reflect the present cost of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), popularly called diesel and spare parts.
Already, Abuja, the nation’s capital, has been hit with scarcity for weeks.
Just yesterday, Lagos, the commercial capital of the nation, began to experience queues at most filling stations. – Leadership, February 8, 2022