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Tag: IPMAN

  • IPMAN lauds NNPC for pumping petrol into Ejigbo Depot

    IPMAN lauds NNPC for pumping petrol into Ejigbo Depot

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria ( IPMAN ), Ejigbo Depot, has lauded the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for pumping petrol into the depot.

    Alhaji Ayo Alanamu, the Chairman of Ejigbo Depot, made the commendation in an interview in Lagos on Thursday.

    Alanamu said that NNPC resumed pumping of petroleum products, especially petrol, to the depot on Wednesday to ease fuel scarcity in South-West.

    According to him, loading of petrol by tankers started at the depot on Thursday.

    “I strongly believe that before weekend, queues will vanish.

    “Marketers within Lagos metropolis are being given priority attention while NNPC has increased loading capacity of trucks,’’ he said.

    According to Alanamu, the aim of pumping petroleum products to the depot is to reduce the difficulty marketers go through while taking the products at the Apapa private depot.

    “Now that pumping has resumed in Ejigbo Depot, the number of trucks waiting to take load in Apapa will reduce drastically; it will also reduce the chaotic traffic situation there,’’ he said.

    According to a correspondent, who visited the depot, reports that tankers were taking petroleum products out of the depot.

    However, petrol scarcity within the Lagos metropolis remains the same as many filling stations are without the product.

    NAN

  • NURTW calls for prosecution of black marketers

    NURTW calls for prosecution of black marketers

    The National Union of Road Transport Worker ( NURTW ), Abdulsalam Motor Parks, Minna, Niger State, has advocated the setting up of mobile courts to prosecute “black marketers’’ to serve as deterrent to hoarders.

    The union’s Vice Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Na’ura, made the call in an interview on Wednesday in Minna.

    He advised the government and all relevant agencies to investigate the sources of supply of the products to black marketers and make them face similar sanctions to address the continued artificial scarcity of the product.

    Na’ura said in Minna, many attendants at fuel stations had their agents in strategic locations in and outside the state capital to supply them with the products.

    “While motorists spend nights at filling stations, attendants are seen diverting the products to black marketers.”

    He lamented that petrol was now being sold for between N190 and N200 per litre in Minna, depending on the location of the station.

    Read also: Yuletide: NURTW urges members to drive with caution

    The chairman, however, commended, the Niger Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for setting up a task force to monitor the sale and distribution of petroleum products in the state.

    “But the task force officers can’t be at the filling stations all the time as soon as they leave, they continue with the illegal business.”

    He said petrol queues were becoming unbearable for motorists in Minna and that it costs a lot of hardship to residents.

    Some of the filling stations operated by Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria ( IPMAN ) have increased their pump price from the approved N145 per litre to between N180 to N200 per litre.

    At the NNPC mega stations and other filling stations operated by major marketers, the queues are longer as they continue to dispense at the official pump price of N145 per litre.

    In Minna town, a four-litre gallon of the product in the black market sells for N1,500 as transport fares have also increased due to the scarcity of the product.

    NAN

  • Motorists pay extra money to fill tank

    Motorists pay extra money to fill tank

    Motorists now pay between N500 and N1000 to petrol station attendants before they are allowed to fill their car tanks at some stations in Chanchaga and Bosso local government areas of Niger.

    A correspondent who monitored situation and sale of fuel on Wednesday, reports that apart from cost of product, petrol station attendants demand between N500 and N1,000 to fill the tank of motorists.

    A motorist, Hajiya Rabi Abdullahi in Bosso, said she had to pay extra N1,000 to petrol attendant to fill her car tank.

    She said “I feel it is better for me to pay extra to buy petrol at filling station than buy from`black marketers’ where I am not sure of the quality of the product.”

    Malam Bashir Isa of Maitumbi village said after spending the night at petrol station, he was able to buy the product after paying extra N500 to the attendant to fill his tank.

    He added that “this is pure sabotage because the product is available in most filling stations across the state but marketers are just exploiting us.”

    He called on Federal Government to take drastic measures against any marketer found hoarding product.

    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, a commercial driver at Abdulsalam Motor Park in Minna told NAN that “black marketers” had taken over most filling stations.

    He said “all the petrol attendants have their agents selling products at strategic locations in and outside the metropolis.”

    He called for the setting up of Mobile Courts to arrest and identify the source of the black marketers’ supply and deal with them accordingly.

    Read also: Motorists lament as fuel scarcity bites hard in Kano

    He said petrol was now being sold at between N130 and N160 per litre in Minna, depending on the location of the station.

    The petrol queues, which reappeared on December 4, are becoming unbearable for motorists in the state.

    Some of the filling stations operated by Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had increased their pump price from N150 to N160 per litre.

    At the NNPC Mega Stations and other filling stations by major marketers, the queues were longer, as they maintained the official price of N145 per litre.

    A four-litre gallon of the product in the black market cost N1,300 in Minna town as transport fare had also increased due to the scarcity of product.

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)  Niger command had set up a task force to monitor the sale and distribution of petroleum products in the state.

    The 10-man task force was headed by ASP Peter Doma and Alhaji Abdullahi Jankara of the DPR Minna office.

    The task force was given the responsibility of ensuring normal distribution and sale of product at controlled price.

    NAN

  • Fuel scarcity: ipman, dapman disagree over cause

    Fuel scarcity: ipman, dapman disagree over cause

    THE Federal Government yesterday moved to avert another round of fuel scarcity nationwide. It ordered the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Petroleum Ministry to end the scarcity by tomorrow.

    The move came on the heels of reports that the scarcity on Monday had spread to more parts of the country, including Asaba and Ilorin.

    Nigerians woke up on Monday to long queues at filling stations, many of which barricaded their entrances with the “No fuel” display.

    There were conflicting reports on what triggered the sudden scarcity. The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) claimed the NNPC was delaying the loading of its members’ trucks at depots.

    According to IPMAN, the private deports, belonging to Major Oil Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) were supplying IPMAN members above the regulated pump price.

    But the Depots and the Petroluem Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN) accused IPMAN of being economical with the truth. According to the DAPMAN, it has been supplying its members’ retail outlets at the official price.

    The NNPC, which described the scarcity as artificial, however, urged Nigerians to refrain from panic buying. It assured that it has more than enough to distribute to various depots.

    In a move to abort the scarcity, the Senate, through its Committee on Petroleum Downstream, on Tuesday summoned the NNPC Group Managing Director (GMD), Dr. Maikanti Baru, who was recalled from a London trip, to salvage fuel supply and distribution challenges.

  • Why petrol is scarce, by IPMAN

    Why petrol is scarce, by IPMAN

    •Price hike hits Abuja, Abia, Edo, others

    THE Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday explained what necessitated the fresh scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in some parts of the country.

    Its national vice president, Abubakar Maigandi, who spoke with The Nation on phone, alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was delaying  the loading of independent marketers’ trucks at its depots.

    He added that the private depots that were opened to the independent marketers were selling above the official pump price.

    His words: “In the NNPC, there is serious delay in loading. Then the private depots are selling above the government stipulated rate. This has stopped most of the independent marketers not to buy it.

    “They are selling between N141 to N145 per litre in the depots in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri. This is the serious issue why we are having serious challenges. If care is not taken, there will be serious scarcity. Government needs to quickly intervene for the sake of the people.”

    But, a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) showed that the queues resurfaced early yesterday morning at a few stations, especially in the central area.

    A drive around the metropolis showed that some of the fuel stations, which hitherto had idle pump attendants, now had queues to attend to.

    Commercial motorists in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, yesterday lamented the sharp increase in pump price of PMS.

    When The Nation went round the commercial town on Monday, some marketers around Park Road and Milverton area sold a litre of PMS between N144-N145. Transporters were  yesterday  greeted with a new pump price, which sells between N148-N150.

    Some of the transporters, including Mr. Kelechi Chukwu, expressed fears that if nothing was done by the Federal Government and the NNPC to ensure adequate supply of the product, there would be high cost of transportation fare this festive season.

    A marketer, who spoke with The Nation, added that they were selling the product depending on the part of the country, where they sourced the product from.

    Some petrol stations in Benin City metropolis sold PMS for between N150 and N160 per litre yesterday.

    Motorists, who did not want to purchase from petrol stations, opted to stay in long queue where fuel was sold for N145 per liter.

    At Ekenwan Road, only one petrol station was seen selling at the normal approved pump price.

    At many petrol stations along Akpakpava road such as Total, Oleum, Oando and Conoil, fuel was sold for N145 per litre.

    At the NNPC mega station along Sapele road, petrol was sold for N143 per litre.

    Two marketers said they increased the pump price because they bought fuel from depot at N144 per litre.

     

  • IPMAN crisis: Fresh fuel scarcity looms in South South

    IPMAN crisis: Fresh fuel scarcity looms in South South

    Some South South States and cities may soon be hit with another round of petroleum products scarcity following threat by the Warri chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to shut down activities from tomorrow.

    The decision by IPMAN to mount the offensive followed last Friday’s suspension of its executive election activities by the Delta State government.

    The election billed to hold in Asaba, the Delta State capital, had been bugged by rancour and disagreements between the immediate past chairman, Chief Benjamin Emoefe and other senior members of the body.

    The Nation gathered delegates to the election were already arriving in Asaba on Friday when the state government, in a statement by Paul Osahon, Director of Information, suspended the exercise, citing alleged anticipated violence over the process.

    Reacting to the decision, the interim spokesman of IPMAN in the state, Yusum Adam, advised the state government to allow the body conducts the election to institute a new administration.

    He warned that failure to do this would see all members of the body shutting down activities in Warri, starting from tomorrow.“Government must ensure that election is conducted. If that is not done by Monday, our men will close their fuel stations to sales.

    “Government assured of adequate security and peaceful elections. That’s why it moved the elections from Warri to Asaba,” he said.

    Erstwhile chairman of the body, Chief Emoefe, who is also known as Ben Jones, lauded the state government’s decision to suspend the activities, saying it was the needful step.

    Emoefe, whose interest to continue as chairman, against the will of some other members, was at the centre of the crisis rocking the body, noted the suspended election was going to run against some principles of IPMAN, if allowed to hold.

    “Government did the needful by suspending the exercise. They could not have taken a better decision because it is not the place of government to conduct elections for us.

    “The national body is the authority with the mandate, by our governing rules to supervise the elections. There is a common understanding that, as incumbent, I get a mandatory second tenure and my vice succeeds me.

    “This was not to be respected in the botched Warri IPMAN election because the right umpire wasn’t in charge. So, it is not just that the state government suspended the elections, it should vacate the responsibility to supervise the elections to the national body,” he argued.

     

  • Kaduna IPMAN to hold election on Saturday

    Kaduna IPMAN to hold election on Saturday

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Kaduna state chapter has resolved its leadership crisis bedevilling the state chapter even as it is ready to organise a fresh election on Saturday.

    This was disclosed by the Chairman, IPMAN Caretaker committee, Lawal Danzaki during a press conference in Kaduna on Thursday.

    The chairman remarked that his committee which was also mandated to act as caretaker and organise elections had met with all the warrying groups and have resolved the crisis bedevilling the state chapter.

    According to him, “I want to assure our members that the crisis is over following intervention by the state governor, Mallam Nasir El -rufai, the police commissioner, as well as elders of the union.

    “The four groups have agreed to work with any one that emerges as the new chairman. We intend to hold our elections on Saturday 21st October, 2017.

    Read Also: Tension in Kaduna as fear of reprisal grips Igbos

    “35 positions will be contested for and every member who feels he or she is qualify to seek for an office can do so. Nobody will be denied the right to contest”, he disclosed.

    Danzaki also told members of the union that out of the membership they have in the register, 809 have been accredited for the election. Also, he added that, registration for new members is still on going.

    It will be recalled that, the state chapter of IPMAN had been enmeshed in leadership crisis for many years. Attempt to hold elections were been disrupted by several court ligitations.

  • Why kerosene remains expensive, by IPMAN

    Why kerosene remains expensive, by IPMAN

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said household cooking fuel, Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), remains expensive because only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is responsible for its availability.

    While the state-run oil firm supplies kerosene from the local refineries, it remains the sole importer of the product.

    A litre of kerosene, which is used by the poor, goes for between N170 and N230, depending on the filling station it is bought from. The government has fixed its price at N50 per litre.

    IPMAN’s National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, said the oil firm could afford to sell the product at a lower price than other marketers that still depend on it.

    In a telephone interview at the weekend, Maigandi added that since NNPC has this monopoly of the kerosene business, some of its officials at the depots and refineries take advantage of it to demand gratification before loading IPMAN members, who ironically depend on the NNPC for the product.

    Maigandi lamented that IPMAN is also finding it difficult to access foreign exchange for the importation of kerosene and other products.

    “Kerosene is still on the high side because of the corruption in NNPC’s depots and refineries. Unfortunately, this still happens because it is only the NNPC that has the resources to bring the kerosene into the country.

    “But instead of giving the marketers without underhand dealing, they collect money before they give you allocation.

    “Marketers cannot import the kerosene because of its high rate. If you import it since NNPC has its own products there will be competition. If you import they will be selling it at a lower rate and you will lose,” he added.

  • IPMAN to EFCC: curb corruption in refineries, depots

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to curb corruption in the sale of petroleum products in the refineries and depots across the country.

    Speaking with The Nation on phone,  its National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi said sharp practices in the allocation and loading of the products was still a major threat to the free flow of fuel that this administration advocates.

    “There is corruption in those Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depots; you have to give them money before you load in any of  Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries,” he said.

    Maigandi, who commended the  Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru  for his visit to the EFCC, urged him to take advantage of the relationship to tackle corruption  in the oil downstream industry.

    He said only the NNPC is importing products and it sells them at a lower rate than the independent marketers, which is accountable for the price disparity.

    He added that some independent marketers have however followed suit to lower their pump prices because they seek high turnover. The situation, he said has made the market highly competitive to the benefit of the consumers.

    He said marketers were not accessing kerosene directly from NNPC, stressing that the middlemen are responsible for the additional cost in securing the kerosene.

  • IPMAN urges EFCC to curb corruption in refineries, depots

    IPMAN urges EFCC to curb corruption in refineries, depots

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Monday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to curb corruption in the sale of petroleum products in the refineries and depots across the country.

    Speaking with The Nation on phone, the IPMAN National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi explained that sharp practices in the allocation and loading of the products was still a major threat to the free flow of fuel that this administration advocates.

    He said that “you know up till now there is corruption in those NNPC depots, you have to give them money before you load in any of them Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna. All the three refineries.”

    The IPMAN National Vice President, who commended the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru on his recent visit to the EFCC, asked him to take advantage of the relationship to tackle the corruption menace in the oil downstream industry.

    He, however, explained that only NNPC is importing products and it sells them at a lower rate than the independent marketers, which is accountable for the price disparity.

    He added that some independent marketers have however followed suit to lower their pump prices because they seek high turnover. The situation, he said has made the market highly competitive to the benefit of the consumers.

    He noted that marketers were not accessing kerosene directly from NNPC, stressing that the middlemen are responsible for the additional cost in securing the kerosene.

    His words: “The managing director, the other time visited Magu. So, all what they have said is good, if they can go and do it in the right way,  definitely the Kerosene price will crash. Now only NNPC is bringing kerosene because there is a subsidy, so that subsidy because the  NNPC is bringing their own, they sell it at a lower rate to the marketers.

    “So, marketers are not able to import it because of the rate NNPC is selling because they produce, so they sell it at a lower rate.

    They are selling at a lower rate but when marketers come, it will become at a higher rate. So that is the major problem that we are having now, the government is giving it at a lower rate but the marketers can not get it at that rate.

    “Another unnecessary cost, which is not going to the government’s pocket, if the marketers were getting it direct, the way government said they should sell, then definitely by now the kerosene will not pass N150 or 160 highest, in the filling station.

    “Let Magu work with that the Managing Director, since he has gone there to meet him to assist him, let him assist him to eradicate the corruption.”