Don’t be distracted, NUPENG tells Buhari 

National chairman of Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Branch of  the National Union of  Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers,  (NUPENG)Otunba Salmon Oladiti has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to be distracted  but remain focused to his administration commitment to put the economy in good shape and ultimately, turn around the fortunes of Nigerians.

The NUPENG chairman gave the advice  in a statement he personally signed  and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

President Buhari returned to  the country at the  weekend after over 100 days in the United Kingdom.

Oladiti who expressed concern  over negative comments on the state of health of President Buhari, while he was out of the country, said he was excited that certain individuals who were playing god that Buhari’s health had worsen and he would not return to his seat have been put to shame.

He said: “Now that President Buhari is back in the country, we are waiting for those who promised to commit suicide to do so. ‘’It was clear to discerning Nigerians when certain opposition elements and groups were staging protests, we knew corruption was fighting back.

“Those who stole the nation blind under the past administration were not happy with the new lease of lives, the transparency and openness in governance.

‘’They are used to cornering  our collective patrimony, stealing the nation blind while majority live in misery. They haven’t come to terms mi with the reality of a new dawn which ordinary Nigerians now relish. They are still gnashing their teeth. ’’

Speaking on the positive development in the oil industry, the NUPENG chairman said both the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry have witnessed tremendous growth under the present administration,

‘’unlike in the previous government when the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) was at the mercy of  a super Minister.

It was a time when the country was making so much from crude oil earnings, yet NNPC was technically bankrupt. ’’

He particularly lauded the uninterrupted fuel supply situation in the country, which he noted was a departure from the recent past when car owners stayed endlessly  at gas stations to queue for fuel, while commuters  remained stranded  at parks.
Oladiti however pleaded with the present administration to redeem its pledge  to put all federal highways in good shape and remove the present trauma that his members are subjected to in the process of conveying petroleum products  from the depots to retail outlets across the country.

‘’As a union, our tankers ply the dangerous highways across the country, conveying  petroleum products. The tanker drivers are subjected to all sorts of hardship on daily basis. We suffer human casualties and loss of tankers, on daily basis on these highways, as a result of the intolerable conditions of the highways across the country.

‘’We are hopeful that just like the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo did promise and has allayed our fears, the situations on the highways will soon change for the better.’’