AT NEC MEETING : NARTO Cautions Members Over Cargo Diversion, Smuggling , Bunkering Others

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) on Tuesday , warned its members to desist from any form of cargo diversion , bunkering and smuggling of petroleum products saying, the national body will not hesitate to deregister anyone found wanting.

 

The National President NARTO, Alhaji Othman Yusuf Lawal gave the warning in Lagos, during her second quarterly   National Executives Council (NEC) and states chairmen joint  meeting.

 

Othman reiterated that truck owners under the name NARTO must caution their drivers and assistant to adhere strictly to the constitution guiding the association, adding that such illegalities will not be accepted by the national bodies.

 

According to him, the association has a name to protect stressing that transporters are deeply involved in the movement of cargoes and must desist from such practices for the benefit of the association and their own interest.

 

He said mechanism has already been put in place to checkmate drivers who engaged in such illegal practices.

 

 

Othman noted that”What I said is very clear. There is need for us to ensure that our members are not involved in petroleum products and bunkering and diversion of petroleum products  across the country, because all these three things are done by trucks and the trucks are driven by drivers who are our members.

 

“If we avoid these things, it is in our own interest because we have no reason to be involved in all these bad things because it is affecting us and the economy.

 

“We are devising internal mechanism which we will not make public,we will not fold our hands and watch, we will ensure enforcement, we will identify culpable members and hand them over to the government for appropriate punishment.

 

On issue of extortion of truck drivers by state security agencies,he added that talks are ongoing to engage the governmentfrom the Southwest to end the anomalies noting that such practice affects business and investment

 

 

 

“On the way forward to tackle extortion in the South West, we have direct interface with the state governments.

“We have tried to do that in the past but did not work out but we will intensify efforts to interface with the state governments.”