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Bad Roads: Tanker Drivers Give FG 90-Day Ultimatum …As NUPENG Strike Bites Harder In Rivers, Three Others

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The Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers yesterday issued a 90-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to fix the many bad roads that heavy duty tankers ply across Nigeria.
Specifically, the drivers stated that they had warned of an impending strike in parts of the South-East and South-South as a result of the deplorable state of the Port Harcourt-Eleme Junction road, Okigwe-Umuahia road and Jebba-Illorin road.
The Chairman, PTD, Mr. Salimon Olatidi, told journalists yesterday that members of the union had on the expiration of the ultimatum last month avoided these roads and refused to lift products on the affected axis.
He said the strike had entered its second week and the situation was becoming unbearable to residents in the areas.
Olatidi said his members had wanted to extend the strike to Lagos, Abuja and other regions in the north, if not for the intervention of the Department of State Security Services, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Chairman of Capital Oil Limited.
He said, “We want to inform Nigerians that after due consideration and wider consultation with stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, we have directed our members to resume work in these areas where we had earlier withdrawn our services.
“We don’t want to state the time duration that we are now giving the government to carry out urgent repairs on these roads as well as others, but if we wait for 60 to 90 days and nothing is done, by the time we strike nationwide people should not blame us.”
Olatidi said the union agreed to heed the call of the DSS and the Petroleum Resources Ministry, adding that it had given “government more time to attend to these roads.
“We, like every other Nigerian, are mindful of the hard times and we also fill the pain. So, we advice the Federal Government to send emissaries to verify the state of these roads and take palliative measures.
“The road from Jebba to Ilorin, a distance of about 100km usually takes a whole day for our members to cover. Port Harcourt-Eleme Junction, a distance of about 15km takes over five hours, and the same goes for Okigwe-Umuahia road, as well as a few others across the country.”
He warned that “failure by government to fulfill its promise by fixing the roads, we may not give any further notice of an industrial action.”
Meanwhile, as the industrial action embarked upon by oil and gas industry workers under the aegis of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Unit, Eastern Zone, entered its eighth day yesterday, commuters, residents and business owners in Rivers and Abia states have expressed increasing frustration and hard times they are facing to get petroleum products.
The union commenced its strike Thursday last week in protest against the deplorable condition of the Port Harcourt-Eleme-Onne federal road that is the only access road to the refineries, Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) main loading bay, private petrol tank farms as well as the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone and Notore fertiliser plant in the state.
A makeover of the road was done by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), last year when the wife of the president, Dame Patience Jonathan, buried her step mother in Okrika, her hometown, to allow easy passage for important dignitaries who attended the ceremony.
Tanker drivers blocked the refinery, depots and private tank farms in the state, making it impossible for dealers to buy from them.
The strike, however, has caused artificial scarcity and long queues in the few filling stations that have the products.
When The Tide visited the various petrol stations as early as 5:30 a.m. yesterday, it was discovered that a litre of DPK now goes for N140 while a litre of PMS goes for N120 as against the usual N97.
Some drivers who spoke to our correspondent on their frustrations lamented that the products are not available at filling stations, noting that, the few stations selling petrol have long queues.
Cletus Nwato said the stations have begun to hoard the products preferring to sell to the black market operators for higher profit.
However, a tanker driver, Molekwu Obinna, recounted how a colleague lost 33,000 liters of fuel valued at N3.9 million on the road when his tanker fell and the products spilled off.
“On daily basis, our trucks get damaged”, he said, adding that, on more than one occasion, both products and vehicle go in flames as a result of the bad road”.
The Chairman of NUPENG, Port Harcourt, Godwin Eruba, said that the situation would remain as long as the Eleme-Onne road remains in such poor condition.
He said that the strike is also for the safety of both the tanker drivers and other road users because when a loaded tanker falls, it spills its highly inflammable content, triggering loose of lives and property.
It would be recalled that the union, a fortnight ago, threatened to declare industrial action if Federal Government does not fix the bad road.
In a similar view, the youth of Eleme in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State also threatened few days ago that they would block entrance of the Federal Government-owned Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone.
The strike declared to also protest the deplorable Okigwe-Umuahia and Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene roads, among others, is already taking its toll on other states of Abia, Imo and Enugu states.
Scarcity of fuel has hit the three states and is causing untold hardships for motorists and others.
The tanker drivers are complaining that the deplorable conditions of the roads had been negatively affecting the transportation of products and their trucks.
Most petrol stations in the state refused to sell product, claiming they had ran out of products, giving rise to long queue at the few stations, including NNPC stations that sold fuel yesterday.
Some private marketers have taken the advantage to hike pump prices, dispensing between N140 and N120 per litre.
In Imo State, long queues were seen at most petrol stations.
Some staff of the stations along Egbu Road, Owerri, told Vanguard that they “have run out of premium motor spirit, PMS. We are told that tanker drivers are on strike. I cannot say why they went on strike but this is why this station has run out of petrol.”
However, few stations still dispensing the petroleum product maintained the official pump price of petrol per litre.
Similarly, long queues were seen in Enugu metropolis with restive motorists battling to get fuel.
Most of the petrol stations on the ever busy Ogui road were shut, forcing motorists to patronize black market operators.
Speaking, Commissioner for Inter-Ministerial Duties, Mr. Dan Anike, said “NUPENG briefed me yesterday (Wednesday) that they are embarking on a nationwide strike to show resentment to the deplorable condition of South-East roads.”
In Abia State, the residents, motorists and business operators have also expressed worry at the deteriorating fuel scarcity in the commercial hub of the South East, forcing hike in transport fares, and cost of goods and services.
Reacting to the suffering of the people, yesterday, the state Commissioner for Petroleum and Solid Minerals, Chief Don Ubani, appealed to residents of the state to exercise patience as efforts were being intensified to resolve the cause of the current fuel scarcity taking a toll on the people.
Ubani in a statement in Umuahia, said that “the cause of the fuel scarcity was the strike action by Petroleum Tanker Drivers in Eastern Zone comprising Port Harcourt, Aba and Calabar.”
He said the tanker drivers were “protesting the poor state of roads in the zone which has been affecting their operations.”
The commissioner further expressed confidence that “the matter will soon be over as their grievance is being looked into by the appropriate authority,” while appealing to members of the public to exercise patience.
There has been acute fuel scarcity in the state since the strike began.
Further investigations revealed that the situation had been unduly exploited by black market operators who now sell a litre of fuel at between N120 and N150.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe (left), with  member, Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Benjamin Horsfall, during a public function in  Oproama  community, Asari Toru LGA of Rivers State, recently.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe (left), with member, Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Benjamin Horsfall, during a public function in Oproama community, Asari Toru LGA of Rivers State, recently.

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DEPLOY YOUR CAPACITY, TECHNICAL KNOWHOW TO REVITALISE SONGHAI FARMS, FUBARA TELLS TASK FORCE

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that diversifying the economy of the State has become inevitable because of the need to solve the problem of food shortages while also providing jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.

These, he said, are the reasons why great care has been taken to critically look at the prospects of revitalising the Songhai Integrated Farms, which is located in Bunu Tai, in Tai Local Government Area of the State.

Governor Fubara insisted that if the problem associated with food shortages is tackled with good intent and purpose, about 40 to 50 percent of current problems of economic hardship plaguing the country and its people would have been solved.

Governor Fubara made the assertion while inaugurating the Chairman, Mr Biedima Oliver, and members of the task force saddled with the responsibility of supervising the revitalization of Songhai Integrated Farms by its partners: Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Other members of the task force included, the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Engr Victor Kii; Commissioner for Finance, Barrister Emmanuel Frank-Fubara; Dr Ayebaesin Beredugo; and Mr Maurice Ogolo.

The Governor explained that it took him time to approve the constitution of the task force being inaugurated because of the ugly experience with the previous group that shown such interest.

Governor Fubara stated that a process was initiated and driven halfway into the handing over of Songhai Farms on concession to an interested partner who latter showed a total lack of the needed capacity to undertake such task.

He said, “As a matter of fact, if few of you could remember, we even conceded the place to an investor who came in after he had made his presentation, and we, believing that he has the capacity, we said okay to him, and we had already signed up.

“But something happened. He came back to tell us that he wanted us to give him a N5billion bank guarantee. We then asked him, why? If we have the N5billion, why do we need you to come and even revitalize Songhai Farms? We would have put that N5billion there ourselves. For that reason, we cancelled that arrangement.”

Governor Fubara said now that two separate companies have come together to indicate interest and given the assurance of having the needed capacity to drive the process, he is delighted to see them meeting that expectation.

Governor Fubara pointed to the expectation of the people who want to see the Songhai Farms back on stream on a sustainable basis.

That expectation, he insisted, is also what his administration wants to see actualised within its lifespan.

He noted, “We want to see food sufficiency, because we know when Songhai Farms comes on board, there will be food, which is one of the problems we are having in this country. If we are able to tackle the issue of food, 40 to 50 percent of our problem will be solved.”

Governor Fubara also stated that although he believes in the presentation made by the group and has taken their assurance to heart, but warned that he would not tolerate a repeat of what happened before.

The Governor said, “I hope your story will not be (end) halfway too. I hope you have the capacity and all the technical knowhow to handle it. It is not when we start now, after we had finished inaugurating the task force, you will come back to tell us that you need $2million. If we have $2million, we won’t need you. We will invest it by ourselves.”

Governor Fubara, however, praised the capacity of the Chairman of the task force, Biedima Oliver, saying that incidentally, he was one of the personnel that convinced the then administration to develop the Songhai Farms, and had worked with the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) to manage the project.

He said, “He knows and understands the workings of Songhai, and now that we are making you the chairman of the task force, we want to believe that you will make that place come back to life.

“I don’t have any doubt in your capacity. A few things you’ve touched, you turned them to gold. Please, bring it back to what we used to see in Songhai. Bring it back with the help of your committee.”

Governor Fubara assured that his administration will remain committed to providing all the necessary support that they may require to make their assignment a success.

He added, “So, I hereby inaugurate you. Your task is very simple: Do everything within your powers and with our support to make sure that Songhai becomes operational to the benefit, not just the people of Tai, but to the entire Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole”.

In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Task Force to Supervise the Revitalization of Songhai Farms with Vitalcrop Ventures Limited and Imagine Adama Limited, Mr. Biedima Oliver, expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the opportunity and confidence reposed in them to revive Songhai Farms.

Mr. Oliver assured that they will deliver the expected goal on Songhai Farms, and doing so on time and on target so that the good people of Rivers State can eventually be happy and also benefit from the huge investment.

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Our Policies Are Geared Towards Protecting Rivers Interest -Fubara

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that all the policies and programmes of his administration are tailored towards the protection of interest of Rivers people, especially the youths.
This, he said, is borne out of the importance his administration attaches to youths’ development and empowerment as leaders of tomorrow.
Fubara, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, disclosed this when he received the youths of Emohua Local Government Area under the auspices of “Emohua Youths For SIM” on solidarity visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, last Friday.
He said that his administration has put in place modalities that will boost the livelihoods and well-being of Rivers citizens, which youths of Emohua will also benefit when they materialise.
The governor, who spoke through the Rivers State Head of Service, Dr. George Nwaeke, pointed out that the recently awarded Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku Road, the ongoing Emohua-Kalabari Road, reinstatement of illegally sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Area and the approval for electrification of the area, are part of deliberate measures to open up the area to make life conducive and more meaningful for the people.
According to him, “Everything about the governor is putting the interest of Rivers State first. He is looking at and taking action on those things that we need to do to restart the wheels of progress in Rivers State.
“There are many things the governor has planned and is already doing that will boost the life and welfare of every citizen of Rivers State, but most importantly the youths.
“Growing up, I learnt that Egbeda is one of the biggest communities in the whole of Ikwerre, and it’s predominantly an agrarian community. They have food in Egbeda, they have food in Ubimini, they have food in Omudiaga and other natural resources. The whole world is tilting to agriculture, and this is the way to go.
“The Elele-Umudioga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Omoku road, when completed, will open up the area for real development. Your food and everything you produce there will now have value, they will no longer be thrown away. In all these, you the youths are going to be the utmost beneficiaries.”
He added, “Same will be applicable to the Emohua-Kalabari Road which will also, trigger development in the area, and you will be the greatest beneficiaries. When the LGA is also electrified, you will be having 24 or 20 hours of electricity, and those things the youths can do with electricity, you can stay at home and create wealth for yourself and children.
“All the totality of what the governor is doing, when they are completed, or even as some are completed now, the youths are going to be utmost beneficiaries.”
While acknowledging that youths are the true leaders of tomorrow and any government that fails to carry them along in the scheme of things is doomed to fail, the governor assured them of his administration’s commitment to always address issues concerning youths and ensure that they are part of his government.
He commended the youths for toeing the path of truth by identifying with his administration, urging them to sustain the tempo and shun evil, as his government will ensure that the trend whereby politicians turn youths to beggars are over.
He said, “Youths are, indeed, the leaders of tomorrow. The time of youth is a very important time. It a time that your parents or whoever is your leader at that time have to make the greatest investment in you. And any Government that decides to only carry the elderly, chiefs aling and abandon the youths is bound to fail,” he asserted.
“But I am happy that Governor Fubara has concentrated his energy on everything that will benefit the society, especially the youths.
“And based on these, I want to thank you for recognising what is good and calling it good, for shunning what is evil, for saying the Governor is standing for you.
“Let me tell you, you are on the right direction. Let me tell you again, Rivers State is the bride of Nigeria. The whole Nigeria is looking at what will happen here. As they look here and see you standing on the path of truth, this is a very important step that you have taken to right all the wrongs of the past, to make Rivers State stand on the tripod of justice, peace and security. That is what we are going to gain through the governor, taking all the wise actions that he has already initiated.
“The projects the governor is embarking on are meant to prepare nets for the youths to fish and put food on their table, hence you should continue to follow him.
“The SIMplified Movement brought upon by the governor will ensure that Rivers youths stop the habit of going to bow down before politicians, pledging loyalty before they can eat.”
Earlier, spokesman for the Emohua Youths for SIM, Comrade Ovamale O. Ovamale, had said that the visit by youths from the 14 political wards in Emohua Local Government Area was to thank the governor for the award of the Elele-Omudiaga-Egbeda-Ubimini-Ikiri-Omoku road, the approval for electrification of the area and reinstatement of sacked workers of Emohua Local Government Council, of which the youths were mostly affected.
According to him, “Siminalayi Fubara of recent has given Emohua Local Government road that links Elele to Omoku, which comprises over four communities in the local government.”
“Emohua Local Government has also been in darkness for eight years. No community in the local government that has light. But, of recent, because of the passion and love the governor has for the people of Emohua, he has approved the electrification of the local government.
“Also, the illegal sack of Emohua Local Government workers, for which the youths were mostly affected and without the approval of the Local Government Service Commission, the governor, in his compassionate nature, has reinstated them, and that is why we said we must come and thank His Excellency”, he said.

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Our Legacy’ll Leave Lasting Impression On Rivers People -Fubara

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured that his administration will collaborate and continue to consult widely in delivering a liberated State experiencing enduring peace.
Fubara said, in doing so, he would not operate as a dictator but as a member of a team that has the best interest of the State at heart and determined to leave a lasting legacy that can be celebrated.
The governor spoke during the formal presentation of Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office to the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, King Ateke Michael Tom, as first class tradition ruler, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Fubara stated that, during the Sixth State Executive Council meeting, N80.8billion was approved with 50 percent contract value paid already as the Government awarded the construction of the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku Road.
He said the project will be funded from the savings from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to underscore his administration’s prudence without also borrowing to complete the project.
“We are at a crossroad in our State where we all need to stand for what is right. It happens once in a life time. So, for now, be one of those people that will be in the course to liberate and free our dear State.
“And I know strongly that having the support of a peace-loving Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom, having the support of the wonderful Council of Chiefs, having the support of the great people of Rivers State, we will bring peace in our State. We will do those things that are right to develop our State.
“We will continue to consult. We will not act as dictators. We will act as people who know that one day, we will leave, and when we leave, the way we have acted will speak for us. We will not force people to talk good about us. Our legacy will be a signature for how we led”, the governor said.
Fubara explained that he acted within the ambit of the law to upgrade the traditional stool upon which King Ateke Tom sits in recognition of his efforts in promoting peace in Okrika, and indeed, the State, and urged him to continue to do justice to everyone.
In his speech, Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Hon Charles Amadi, congratulated King Ateke Tom for being formally presented with the Certificate of Recognition and Staff of Office as first class traditional ruler.
Also speaking, former Transport Minister, Chief Abiye Sekibo, thanked the governor for fulfilling his promise of upgrading the traditional stool of Okochiri Kingdom, and pledged the support of Kirike Se people to his administration.

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