The Federal Government has begun negotiations with the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners to avert the planned suspension of operations by NARTO members with respect to the lifting of petroleum products.
On Sunday oil marketers and the executives of NARTO met about six times in the last two days, following the declaration of the petroleum products’ transporters to halt operations.
This came as independent marketers expressed worry over the continued crash of the naira against the United States dollar, as they stressed that the development could force the non-subsidised pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, to hit N1,500/litre in coming days.
The dollar has been on the rise, hitting over N1,500 lately. Nigeria, is still importing petrol basically with the dollar. Although NNPCL has kept mute on subsidy, marketers said PMS was being subsidised, otherwise it would sell for about N1,500/litre not N600-N700/litre as sold currently.
NARTO members have repeatedly raised concern over the high cost of diesel required to power their trucks for the transportation of petroleum products across the country.
Oil marketers said diesel prices were between N1,250 to N1,400/litre depending on the area of purchase. It is on the basis of this that members of the group would park their trucks from Monday.
NARTO’s President, Yusuf Othman, had in a statement he issued in Abuja on Thursday, said the statement we are discussing with the marketers and they have proposed some increase in the transportation arrangement, and right now we are discussing with our executives with a view to consider the matter.
“But you know this has nothing to do with the government because the government no longer has a hand in the payment of transportation for products. It is purely for marketers that we provide the services to,” he stated.
“Yes, it was for them to intervene, not that they should pay, at least for them to see reasons why they need to talk to the other parties because the government naturally has to be an arbiter.
“In a free market, the government cannot just fold its arms and say everybody should do whatever they like. And this is the time we are oppressed downstream because most of the marketers have increased their pump prices but they have not increased our freight rates.
