NNPC HAS NOT BEEN SUPPLYING PETROL TO INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM DEALERS, WE BUY FROM PRIVATE TANK FARM OWNERS — IPMAN CHAIRMAN
REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
The Federal Government has been called upon to save the masses from the present agony of scarcity of petroleum products by making the commodity available.
The Chairman Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Enugu Depot, Mr. Chinedu Anyaso, made the call while speaking with Radio Nigeria on the high cost of fuel in the zone.
According to the IPMAN Chairman, there is the need to resuscitate all the refineries across the country and the Federal Government should come out clearly on the issue of oil subsidy to enable Nigerians plan their activities.
Mr. Anyaso said that NNPC had not been supplying fuel to independent marketers for a very long time, forcing them to source for the product from private tank farm owners who sell at exorbitant price.
Mr. Anyaso explained that as at 31st of December 2022, marketers were buying the product at the cost of N237 per litre then pay N3 loading cost and N15 for transportation, which would bring the landing cost to about N260 per liter, depending on location.
He expressed regret that in spite the high cost getting the product was becoming very difficult as most private tank farm owners were not selling to marketers.
The IPMAN Chairman blamed the latest development on the NNPC which has the monopoly of refining and importing the product into the country but had not lived up to expectations.
Mr. Anyaso noted that if the NNPC had imported enough products as they always claimed, petrol would be available and thereby force down the price of the commodity.
He hinted that almost all the 21 federal government-owned depots across the country had been moribund, including that of Enugu, which had not been operational for over 20 years.
The IPMAN Enugu Depot Chairman, however, expressed the hope that with promises from the new Managing Director NNPC Retail, the narrative would change within the shortest Period.
“Federal Government should Flood the Market with products, definitely the price will come down.
“They promised us since that the Port Harcourt refinery is going to come on stream and we have not seen that. Warri refinery, kaduna refinery nothing, Dangote refinery they said early this year, we are equally watching.
“Once these refineries are producing optimally , it will solve the problem of local petroleum needs of the country,” Mr. Chinedu Anyaso Added.
EDITEE BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
