THE Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has blamed the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the current fuel scarcity in the country.
Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, February 1, the National Operation Controller of IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, said IPMAN is not responsible for the scarcity and smuggling of fuel across borders.
Osatuyi also denied reports that IPMAN is involved in hoarding fuel and other petroleum products.
“NUPENG knows where the product is but we don’t know where to get it. NUPENG is involved in the problem, we are not hoarding like my station now I don’t have the product if I have the product I will like to turn it over within two, three days because we have to pay bank loans.
“The 1.3 billion litres that they say we don’t have it if we have it will the whole country be dry? Go to South-South, South-West everywhere in the whole country is dry. They know where the product is but we don’t know where to get it,” he stressed.
Osatuyi also associated the scarcity of fuel with the recurring delay by the NNPC in delivering petroleum products on time.
“Although we have been complaining that they don’t give us this product directly, the NNPC has now agreed to open about three or four more depots for IPMAN to be loading this product. There is what this called an express platform put on by NNPC retail but when you order and pay you don’t get it for one, two months because I want to pay 180 or 175 naira.
“But since they have agreed to open more depots for IPMAN to be buying at the official price it is better and this is what they should have done.”
Osatuyi further denied the involvement of IPMAN in the smuggling of fuel to neighbouring countries.
“IPMAN don’t drive trucks so we don’t know about smuggling. If they want to stop smuggling today let NUPENG tell their members to stop driving trucks across the border,” he said.
Osatuyi however, urged the government to massively import fuel to reduce the price of fuel and the prevailing scarcity.
“The government should do massive importation to reduce the price of fuel. Whatever income generated from this subsidy should be channelled towards renewing and reducing the suffering of Nigerians by investing in critical infrastructure for Nigerians like railway. We have to benefit more in removing subsidy and deregulation now”
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