Calabar – Economic activities have been grounded in Calabar following a strike by the Petrol Tanker Drivers’ Association (PTDA) in Cross River.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who monitored the situation reports that almost all the filling stations in the state capital were closed for business.

Commuters, including school children, were stranded in various bus stops as the price of fuel increased by more than 100 per cent in the black market.

A litre of petrol now sells for between N200 and N300 while surface tankers popularly known as black marketers have resurfaced in some parts of the state.

Reacting to the situation, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Mr Fabian Okpa, blamed the drivers for the situation.

Okpa said in a telephone interview that the drivers refused to relocate to a new land given to them by the government to park their tankers.

He said the government asked them to relocate to decongest traffic in the capital city.

“They insisted that they must stay in their usual place. We want to maintain the cleanliness the state is known for.

“The government showed them a particular place but later changed it because it will deface the original city plan.

“So government gave them a new place which they rejected. But we are trying to settle the issue. We are still meeting with them,’’ he said.

The governor’s aide urged the drivers to call off the strike in the interest of the masses.

A member of the PTDA, Mr Musa Isah, told NAN that the new place was too far from the loading depot and urged the government to relocate them to a nearby place.

“We want a place very close to the depot,” he said.

/NAN