Mr. Moses Asaga, the Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority, has said the construction of a modern parking lots and resting room for tanker drivers in Tema would be completed in September.

According to him, the facility would stop the haphazard parking of tankers along the roads because of the unavailability of spaces and resting room for drivers who had to hang about.

Mr. Asaga said this in a message, delivered for him, at the swearing-in of the six executive members of the National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union (NPTDU), in Tema.

He said about 95 per cent of the NPA’s products were conveyed by the tanker drivers, hence the need to put measures in place to address their needs for smooth and expeditious service delivery.

Mr. Asaga advised the drivers to desist from negative tendencies such as drunk-driving, and wrongful overtaking, and make regular checks on their vehicles before journeying to avoid accidents.

Mr. Albert Kojo Pinto of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), who represented the Managing Director of TOR, said the construction of the parking lots and resting room was timely to enable the drivers to have enough rest after a trip.

He said a number of accidents were born out of fatigue.

Mr. Pinto urged the executives not to engage in politics but their interest should be in improving the welfare of their members, adding that, they should not yield to external influences for personal or monetary considerations.

He appealed to the Government to lend financial support to the tanker owners to purchase new and strong vehicles, saying that, the use of old vehicles also contributed to accidents.

Mr. George Nyaunu Teye, the Chairman of the NPTDU, recounted the challenges drivers faced because of the absence of parking and resting places and urged the NPA to expedite action on the construction of the facility to minimise their plight.

He expressed worry over the non-payment of drivers by their vehicle owners and said only about 20 per cent of the tanker drivers were recently paid.

Mr. Teye appealed to their vehicle owners to promptly pay them and also better their working conditions to maintain a high level of integrity between them and their employers.