TheCable

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) says there is no plan to embark on a strike, noting that there is a steady supply of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol in Abuja.

Yusuf Othman, NARTO’s president, disclosed this on Thursday in an interview with NAN following claims by oil marketers that NARTO members were not willing to distribute petrol in the nation’s capital.

Othman, who dismissed the claims, said members of the association are still distributing fuel in the federdal capital territory (FCT).

“There is no iota of truth in that claim. The fact is that, fuel is being distributed and the transporters are very happy with the federal government,” he said.

“We are happy with the N10 that was added to the freight rate for PMS. The only problem we have is that it has not fully been implemented by the marketers.

“But as at this moment, there is no threat to strike and we are not going on strike.

“In fact, following the approval, some of our members including myself have bought new trucks to increase distribution of PMS in the country.”

Otham, therefore, urged residents of the FCT not to engage in panic buying of petrol because the transporters were available to distribute products to Abuja and environs.

In June, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the upward review of freight rates for transporters.

The approval followed a call by NARTO for an increase in the freight rate for petrol due to the high cost of diesel in the country.