The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has denied speculations that marketers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) aka petrol are getting set to shut down operations beginning Monday (today) if the government starts the enforcement of N195/litre pump price.
IPMAN’s National Operations Controller, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, explained that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is fine-tuning logistics to start supplying petrol to IPMAN members directly two months after their December 8, 2022 agreement.
He advised members to open up their stations and start selling to the public nationwide.
He said IPMAN is a responsible association that will not get involved in undermining the national security, as petrol is a national security product.
He said: “Apart from IPMAN members loading at DAPPMAN depots in Abule-Ado, Ijegun axis of Lagos has agreed to sell petrol at N172 per litre to IPMAN members as part of the Federal government and DAPMAN’s efforts in ensuring Nigerian enjoy the subsidy regime.”
He added that lPMAN will also load at NIPCO and MRS depots massively for South-West and North-West in the days to come.
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, adding that government should 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 and the benefits of subsidy will equally be enjoyed by the public to enable IPMAN members to sell at reasonable and near approved prices nationwide.
He declared that Adesope Ibadan IPMAN depot publicity officer has no mandate to speak on behalf of the IPMAN as a national body.
He appealed to media to always cross check information from IPMAN national body before going to press.
The IPMAN Publicity Officer, lbadan depot, Alhaji Mojeed Adesope, had called for shutdown of all IPMAN’s filling stations due to government’s pronouncement that price of petrol should not exceed N195/litre, a development the dealers, particularly independent marketers, described as tough due to the high ex-depot price of the commodity.
Osatuyi said that its members will begin to get supply direct from the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
He said going forward, the independent marketers, being critical complement to the major marketers in breaking the festering scarcity, got 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.
The National Operations Controller, said that the NNPCL have agreed to be selling petrol directly to IPMAN members at the regulated official price, rather than the crisis-fueling situation of 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 regulated retail price.
He said: “I can tell you that the NNPCL have agreed to be giving IPMAN petrol directly and not through a third party.
“The Federal government and the Inspector General of Police should call the Federal task force on petroleum products to order, as their recent action smacks of intimidation and exploitation.
“IPMAN will work with them in a peaceful and friendly atmosphere to fish out fraudulent members among IPMAN members that can be proven but not exploitative agenda.”