By Yusuf Yunus
The lndependent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has dispelled the rumour that marketers will shutdown operations once the government starts the enforcement of N195 per litre pump price on Monday.
Mr Mike Osatuyi, IPMAN’s National Operations Controller, said the insinuation that marketers planned to shutdown operations from Monday should be disregarded.
Osatuyi said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
NAN reports that Alhaji Mojeed Adesope, IPMAN Publicity Officer, lbadan Depot, on Feb. 3 called for the shutdown of all IPMAN filling stations due to government’s pronouncement that the pump price of petrol should not exceed N195 per litre.
Adesope said dealers, particularly independent marketers, described the development as tough due to the high ex-depot price of the commodity.
Osatuyi said it became necessary to debunk the insinuation that IPMAN members planned to shutdown their stations.
According to him, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) is preparing the logistics to start supplying petrol to IPMAN members directly.
He advised members to open up their stations and start selling to the public nationwide.
He said IPMAN was a responsible association that would not undermine national security as petrol was a national security product.
“Apart from IPMAN members loading at DAPPMAN depots in Abule-Ado, Ijegun, Lagos, DAPPMAN has also agreed to sell petrol at N172 per litre to IPMAN members, as part of the Federal Government and DAPMAN efforts in ensuring Nigerians enjoy the subsidy regime,” he said.
He added that lPMAN would soon load at NIPCO and MRS depots massively for South West and North West.
Osatuyi said the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) must be applauded for cancelling the N3 union charges on petrol in the last two days in loading depots.
He, however, urged government to advise NUPENG/PTD to bring down the transportation cost to various parts of the country where a reasonable profit will be made by the transport owners.
He added that the benefits of subsidy would equally be enjoyed by the public so as to enable IPMAN members sell at reasonable and near approved prices nationwide.
He, however, said Adesope had no mandate to talk on behalf of the National body of IPMAN.
He appealed to the media to always cross check any information from IPMAN national before going to press.
Osatuyi said members would begin to get supply directly from NNPCL.
He said the independent marketers, being critical complement to the major marketers in breaking the festering scarcity, got the assurance of direct supply of petrol from the NNPCL.
“The moves came on the heels of a critical meeting between NNPCL, MOMAN, IPMAN, Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and the Department of State Services (DSS) amongst others,” said Osatuyi.
The National Operations Controller said the NNPCL had agreed to sell petrol directly to IPMAN members at the regulated official price, rather than routing products through third parties, who had been severally fingered as being behind inflated wholesale supply prices.
Osatuyi said direct sale of products to independent marketers “will bring down the price of the product,” noting that direct sale of products to independent marketers will lead to immediate reversal of retail prices to the regulated retail price. (NAN)
