The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners has warned that if the government makes good its threat of phasing out rickety trucks on the port access roads, there will be massive unemployment and attendant hunger in the land.
The National Publicity Secretary of NARTO, Abdullahi Inuwa, said this in a chat with Financial Street on Friday.
He expressed fear that not less than 65 per cent of the trucks plying the port access roads in Nigeria would be affected, if the government decides to implement the policy.
According to Inuwa, if adequate arrangements are not put in place before take off of the policy, it will lead to massive loss of jobs.
He called on the governmemt to work out a plan for truck owners to get loans to purchase trucks to be able to meet up with the new standard.
“If you are talking of how many trucks will be affected, about 65 per cent of trucks in Nigeria are almost within the bracket of 30 years, mostly from dry cargo.
“If there is inadequate arrangement before the policy takes off, it means many citizens will be out of jobs. We should remember that some people from some parts of the country can no longer go to their farms; so they turned to loaders and off loaders at their various place. Some are now drivers and motor boys,” he said.
