PPDOA seeks transport minister’s intervention over eviction order

THE  Petroleum Products Depots As­sociation of Nigeria (PPDOA) has urged the Minister of Transport,  Rotimi Amaechi to intervene in the  eviction of its members from the Waziri jetty in Lagos by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

PPDOA also accused the management of NPA of allegedly evicting its members whom it described as local operators, adding that they were replaced by a  foreign company.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists, the association called on  President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amae­chi, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker, House of Rep­resentatives, Yakubu Dogara, to mandate the NPA to allow its members return to the jetty.
They argued that the jetty served as a common user facility to  six tank farms along the axis.  They are Hensmor, A-Z Petroleum, G-Eurafric, Energy Destination, AITEO and NIPCO.

Tracing genesis of the crisis, the  Executive Secretary of PP­DOA, Mrs. Patricia Okereke, said the travails of members of the association  dates back to April 5, 2000 when one of them, Hens­mor, wrote to NPA requesting the lease of the jetty and its adjourning land .

The association argued that they were evicted from the facility despite a subsisting court order.
Reacting to the development, a source at NPA said the Athority’s action is inline with responsibility to ensure that the common user facility, under which the subject facility belongs, adheres strictly to its Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Policy.