The Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Association said on Wednesday it would not call off its three-day old strike until oil marketers were paid their subsidy claim. Mr Isiaka Aremu, the Auditor General of Sahara Oil and Gas Unit of the association, said this to newsmen in Lagos. Aremu said the on-going strike was in support of oil marketers whose subsidy claim was yet to be paid by the Federal Government.

According to him, scarcity of petroleum products will continue until oil marketers’ demand was meant. Petroleum products became scare in Lagos about four weeks ago following the disagreement between the Federal Government and oil marketers over N200 billion subsidy claim. While oil marketers claimed the Federal Government owed them N200 billion, the Federal Government said the amount was N131 billion.

The disagreement degenerated into non-importation of petroleum products by marketers and the consequent scarcity of the products. According to reports, no petroleum tanker was allowed to collect product in all the depots. The tank farms visited were ASCON Oil and Gas; Ibeto Oil and Gas; Capital Oil and Gas; Total Oil and Gas; NIPCO Oil and Gas, and Folawiyo Oil and Gas.

Others are Sahara Oil and Gas; Integrated Oil and Gas; MRS Oil and Gas; Mobil Oil and Gas. When Mr Tokunbo Korodo, the South-West Chairman of NUPENG was contacted, he said: “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.” Also Mr Adewole Olufemi, Secretary-General of DAPPMA, did not respond to several phone calls to him.