Petroleum Marketers Reveal Reasons Behind Growing Fuel Scarcity

Petroleum Marketers have revealed what they claim is the reason behind growing fuel scarcity.

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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has blamed both government and private depot owners for the fuel queues experienced in many cities across the country.

IPMAN’s President, Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo stated that the fuel situation in the country was also because some depot owners refused to sell products to members of the association
Chinedu Okoronkwo
even after collecting monies for such deals.

Okoronkwo disclosed this in Abuja after a meeting with members of the association.

He said, “You can see that a lot of queues are forming already at the filling stations and it is as a result of not getting enough products from private and government depots.

“Some of our members have paid for over four months without getting the products at government depots and some of our members borrowed these monies from the bank. But we have told them to buy and sell only at government approved price.”

He urged members to buy and sell petroleum products at government regulated price to avoid the wrought of regulators.

Okoronkwo said it was critical that products were made available to IPMAN members to ensure that scarcity of petrol was avoided.

While calling on the Federal Government to intervene on its members’ behalf in procuring petrol from private and government operated depots, he stressed that some dealers were yet to obtain products four months after payments had been made.

He said, “In our meeting, we received various complaints about harassment from government agencies, especially from the Department of Petroleum Resources. However, we have advised our members to comply with government approved rates.

“We are not going to encourage selling above government approved pump price. Therefore, I want to also use this opportunity to implore the Federal Government to also talk to the private depot owners to sell the products at a price that our members can access.

“We have told our members not to sell at prices that would attract the wrought of government. We reiterated that government has its template and that members should buy at rates where they can sell within the given price of N87/litre.”

Punch