NNPC to support PTD, NUPENG to boost fuel distribution

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it is ever ready to support unions in the sector to enhance the distribution of petroleum products across the country.A statement by Mr Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC Spokesman, said Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, made the pledge at the 4th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) in Abuja on Thursday.

PTD is a branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).The statement said Baru spoke on: ”Road Infrastructure in Nigeria: Impacts on Products Distribution.”

According to Baru, the Corporation is committed to rehabilitating the Dikko junction to Suleja Depot Road in Niger as part of its infrastructure development initiatives.
He listed other road rehabilitation interventions by NNPC to include: Mokwa-Jebba Road and Iwuru 1 and Iwuru 2 portions of Ekpet-Ugep Road in Calabar, Cross River.

”NNPC is working with the Minister of Power, Works and Housing on the rehabilitation of various portions of the Jebba-Mokwa Road that need immediate intervention based on the observations of PTD members.

“The PTD members have complained about the failed portions which take many long hours for tankers to navigate through,” he said.He explained that the Corporation had also been supportive of the PTD in its quest to acquire land to build trailer parks across the country.

“The corporation would continue to assist the union in any way that could make life easier for them to perform their onerous duty of taking petroleum products to all parts of Nigeria,” said Baru.

Also, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola said the Federal Government had prioritised the rehabilitation of roads that link ports and depots in recognition of the union’s contribution to economic development.

Fashola said the Federal Government was committed to rehabilitating all the roads and developing an efficient rail transport system to make movement easier for all Nigerians.
Earlier, the National president of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, said he was very happy with the choice of the theme of the conference by the leadership of PTD.Akporeha said the issue of roads in the country needed an emergency approach.

In his welcome address, the National Chairman of PTD, Salimon Oladiti, lauded Baru for his commitment to the rehabilitation of downstream infrastructure across the country.
Oladiti said the conference was also an occasion for members of the union to elect new leaders to pilot the affairs of the union for the next four years.