Fuel Scarcity: Petrol Transporters Confirm 25% Freight Rate Implemented By FG

The federal government has implemented a 25 percent freight rate for petrol transporters amid the lingering fuel crisis.

Daily Trust reports that the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) confirmed the development, calling on its members to resume lifting of petrol.

The group lamented the hike in diesel cost, stating that it has hindered logistics for lifting petrol as the fuel scarcity continues to plague the country.

Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum, had disclosed earlier that even though petrol was available, the high diesel rate was stopping trucks from lifting the product.

Speaking on the issue on Saturday, the national president of NARTO, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, urged members of the association who have suspended loading to resume full operations after the approval of the increased freight rate to 25 percent of product cost per cost.

"I am calling on our members (transporters) to get back to full operation now that 25 percent has been implemented. I can confirm that the 25 percent rate has been approved and implemented", he said.

Othman stated that resuming full operations would alleviate the petrol scarcity, adding that efforts were ongoing to secure the federal government's palliatives on Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also called diesel.

"I am calling on members to get back to operation, with a view to reducing the sufferings of the general public. In addition, we are trying to look into how to get AGO palliatives from government", Othman added.