The Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union in the Ashanti Region has stated that their national strike is not intended to destabilise the Akufo-Addo administration.
Due to deteriorating traffic conditions caused by heavy rains, the union has launched a sit-down strike.
The Union has voiced worry over the status of roads leading to Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) terminals in Takoradi, Tema, and Kumasi.
They claim that these highways represent a substantial risk to the movement of combustible petroleum products.
In an interview with Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on June 26, the Union’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Edmund Baba, emphasised that the strike is primarily intended to protect the country’s road networks from further degradation.
“What we are doing, we are not trying to sabotage the government, we are not politicians, we are not talking politics, we all have our individual political opinions. We want to save Mother Ghana from what is happening,” Edmund Baba clarified.
He stated that all efforts to obtain the authorities’ attention to address their issues had been ineffective.
“It’s true, we have embarked on a sit-down strike, anywhere we lift petroleum products including Kaase enclave, Takoradi, Tema-Kpone, our road networks are very bad. The roads are bad that anytime it rains, it’s always an eyesore. We have been trying to get authorities’ attention, nobody cares about us, we have gone around and nobody is minding us,” he asserted.
The Union’s Ashanti Regional Chairman emphasised the revenue generated by its members for the government.
“Look at the income we generate for the government. Go to the fuel stations, for every litre of fuel you buy, there’s a petroleum build-up that goes into the government’s coffers,” Edmund Baba stated.