’We load petrol for N95 instead of N77.66k from private tank depots’
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has opened a can of worms on why fuel scarcity and its attendant hike in price may persist.
The association dissociated independent marketers from the fuel scarcity, which has culminated into hike in petroleum price, and has brought untold hardship on the residents of Oyo State, and many parts of the South West.
The IPMAN chairman, National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Ibadan, Alhaji Olakunle Busari, disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Ibadan on why many independent marketers of petroleum have been selling above the N87 per litre approved by the government.
He raised the alarm that the hike in price might persist if the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) does not take proactive measures to caution private tank farms from selling the commodity to independent marketers beyond the regulated N77.66k per litre and for the marketers to sell at N87 per litre.
According to him, the independent marketers currently lift fuel at N95 per litre, excluding transportation cost at private tank farms in Lagos. This, he said, was responsible for why IPMAN members sell the product between N100 and N105 per litre.
Some members of the association also alleged that the private tank farms would force them to pay the official loading price of N77.66k per litre into the official account and pay the difference between the N77.66k and N95, to an account.
They want DPR to investigate the claim.
Busari said: “For the avoidance of doubt, members of our association are ready to sell fuel for the masses at N87 per litre. Members of IPMAN are determined to work with the present government to ensure that life is made bearable for the masses.
“However, marketers are facing serious challenges, while people erroneously think that we smile to the bank, whereas our business is suffering a great deal. As at today, the NNPC depot in Ibadan that services Oyo and Osun States, has not loaded a single litre in the last four months.
“As a result of this IPMAN members are forced to patronise private depot operators in Lagos, who sell to us at exorbitant price. If we add the cost of transportation and other depot expenses to the price we buy in Lagos, it makes it virtually impossible for us to sell at the official pump price.”
Busari alleged that the little product allocated to IPMAN members from the NNPC to be loaded in Lagos are not given preference of loading at the Lagos private depots, adding that “it takes eight weeks to load. Marketers have not been serviced for more than two times in the whole of this year, 2015.
“Another issue affecting us is the lopsidedness in the allocation of products between the IPMAN, major marketers and NNPC Retail Limited. These set of marketers are given undue preference to the detriment of IPMAN members. It is important to note that the combine numbers of major marketers and NNPC retail outlets is not up to half of the numbers of IPMAN outlets. This action by the NNPC has adversely affected daily volume of product given to IPMAN for loading.”
Busari, however, urged the NNPC and the Feral Government to urgently give utmost attention to the repair of pipelines within the System 2B network so that products pumping to Ibadan depot will resume within the shortest possible time. All dilapidated and obsolete equipment in the Ibadan depot should be replaced with modern and updated ones.
SUNNEWS
