For lack of attention from the Federal Government to their requests, Nigerian oil tanker drivers will go on strike from April 3 over low wages and poor roads, said a labour union official on Sunday. The tanker drivers said they will choke off supply until their requests are met.

The drivers have engaged the government in a ding-dong over the years. They have complained of bad roads, negligence from their employers and poor general welfare of members. This time, they are taking heat on the government which seemed to have given them a deaf ear. Should they make good their threat, the Nigerian economy may go into another shock spiral.

The oil tanker drivers from Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), one of Nigeria’s two major oil laborers’ unions, have not set an end date for their strike, said Cogent Ojobo, a regional chairman for NUPENG.

“Tanker drivers across the country will not work tomorrow so there is bound to be scarcity of petrol, diesel and kerosene,” said Ojobo, adding that petrol stations may later join the strike.

“They are protesting against the federal government because of poor remuneration, bad roads that wear out their vehicles fast and other matters,” he said.

NUPENG had been in talks with Nigeria’s government since last year but the last week’s deadline for an agreement was not met, said Ojobo.