Following the action of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Kaduna State government, members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have vowed to halt fuel supply to Kaduna State until the issues at hand are resolved.
DPR, the state government and officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) have accused the IPMAN of selling fuel above the approved price and hoarding the fuel, consequently the DPR in collaboration with the security agencies have sealed up their filling stations and given their fuel free of charge to members of the public.
Public relations officer of the IPMAN, Alhaji Yakubu Suleiman, while addressing journalists on Thursday, April 28, 2016, said, “It is irrational for anyone to expect our members to go to independent marketers in Lagos and other places and source for products at exorbitant prices and then sell at government control prices.”
He lamented that besides the high rate at which IPMAN members purchase fuel, they still spend so much money to transport the product to Kaduna and so the government cannot force them to sell at government controlled price, insisting that if they sell at government price, they must be running at losses.
He said IPMAN has directed their members that from Thursday, April 28, 2016, they should stop buying fuel from any private depot and sell in Kaduna, saying anyone that does that will be running at a loss, warning that any member that does that will be compelled to sell at government controlled price or lose the product to the public free of charge.
“Ironically, we are helping the government to boost fuel supply because the government does not have enough fuel to supply since the refineries are not working.
“Our members have been urged to comply with this directive until we sit down with the state government and DPR to sort out the problem. We want to assist the government and people of Kaduna State that is why our members go all out with our money to go and get this product anywhere and come to sell in Kaduna.
“But rather than getting thanks, what we get in return is the sealing off of our stations and distributing our fuel free to the public without attempt to even find out why we are selling at high prices. So, we are halting our fuel supply to Kaduna State for now. Whenever government has fuel, they should come and sell for us in our station, we will buy from them,” Suleiman said.
