Truckers

The Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) on Tuesday said that increase in  price of diesel has made truckers to run at a loss.

The President of COMTUA, Mr Yinka Aroyewun, said in Lagos that the increase in diesel  price was causing increase in operational costs of truckers.

According to Aroyewun, if the cost of diesel continues to increase, the cost of goods will continue to increase.

“At present,  there is no increase in the cost of haulage, we have not changed anything, we are just bearing the cost, many things are affecting the business and we are just running at a loss.

“We are at the receiving end because the business is no longer there as import has reduced and export is no longer available.

“We are just bearing the effects and it is not helpful at all, it is dangerous to the industry,” he said.

Aroyewun said that the council’s national executive committee would meet next week to take decisions on the matter, adding that truckers would not continue to run at deficit.

He also called on the Federal Government to consider subsidising the cost of the product for truckers since they were rendering services and assisting the nation in the area of haulage.

“There is no way import and export will get to their destinations without us, and if this cost is in the increase and we are not assisted, things will go bad.

“Airline operators are requesting  assistance from government, a kind of leverage we are also looking for, and we will be glad if the government can look into this,” he said.