The Nation Newspaper

Tag: marketer

  • Warehouse keepers, marketer charged with N156m fraud

    TWO shopkeepers and a marketer, were yesterday brought before an Igbosere Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding a motorcycle company of N156million.

    Adebayo Gbadebo, 40, of 2, Kojumole Street, Opa, Ile-Ife, Osun State; Adebambo Aderemi, 36, of Prince Momoh Street, Igando, Lagos and Kareem Lukman, 36, of Lagos Island, were said to have committed the offence between January 2017 and last December at Akebono Industrial Co., Nig., Ltd., Aba, Abia State.

    They were arraigned by the Zone II Police Command before Chief Magistrate Afolashade Botoku on a four-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, fraud and forgery.

    Read also: Worker remanded for hotelier’s death

    Prosecuting Sergeant Chinedu Njoku alleged that they stole 370 units of Daylong Motorcycles, 470 pieces of Daylong Motorcycles all valued at N80million, which were entrusted to them as storekeepers and sales agent.

    “Gbadebo Adebayo fraudulently and unlawfully opened account numbers 2031998572 and 1015093186 domiciled at two banks with account name: Amaa Fran Nigeria Enterprises and used same to defraud Akebono Industrial Co. Ltd of N48million.

    “The defendants forged or unlawfully duplicated a release order/instruction issued by the management of Akebono Industrial Co. Ltd and used same to steal 101 units of Daylong Motorcycles valued at N28million and sold same to Ibrahim Aliyu at Kebbi State,” Njoku alleged.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

    Chief Magistrate Botoku granted them N2million bail with two sureties each in the like sum.

    The case continues on March 27.

  • Marketer faces N1.4m fraud charge

    A 28-year-old marketer, Omoaka Oseremen, who allegedly obtained 77 pieces of internet modem and recharge cards, worth N1.4 million, on Friday appeared in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.

    Oseremen, who resides at 6, Post road, Mushin, Lagos, is being tried for on charges bothering on obtaining under false pretences and stealing.

    The prosecutor, Insp. Clifford Ogu, told the court that the accused committed the offnce between August, 2014 and July, 2015 at 16, Association Avenue, Ilupeju, Lagos.

    Ogu said that the accused obtained 77 pieces of internet modems and recharge cards from the complainant, Mrs Racheal Bankole, under the pretext of selling the goods.

    “The accused was to sell and remit the proceeds of the sales into the complainant’s account, but he failed to do so.

    “The goods valued at N1.4 million,” he said.

    He said the offences contravened Sections 285 and 313(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The accused, however, entered a “not guilty” plea.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Taiwo Akanni, granted the accused N250, 000 bail with one surety in like sum and adjourned the case until May 15, for mention.

  • At oil marketers’ mercy

    What started as a rumour a few weeks back became a reality last Wednesday. The pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol was increased from N86.50 to N145 per litre. In essence, petroleum subsidy, which had been a huge burden on past administrations, has been removed.

    Some angry Nigerians immediately took to the social media to condemn the increase while others didn’t see anything wrong with the new development. There was great fear about what the real implication of the change will bring upon Nigerians in the following months.

    But looking back, many Nigerians in the past months have been suffering on long fuel queues due to scarcity of the product, which the new regime hopes to tackle. Even with the scarcity of the product at the official price of N86.50, the cost of transportation, foodstuff and other products and services had skyrocketed, with many Nigerians groaning under their impact.

    That was why many believed that the new maximum pump price of N145 per litre will not make the common man on the street fare any better in the short run.

    Announcing the increase at the Presidential Villa, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu disclosed that there were social protection provisions in the 2016 budget aimed at cushioning the effect of the fuel price increase.

    He said, “Along with this decision, the federal government has in the 2016 budget made an unprecedented social protection provision to cushion the current challenges.

    “We believe in the long term, that improved supply and competition will drive down prices.

    “The DPR and PPPRA have been mandated to ensure strict regulatory compliance including dealing decisively with anyone involved in hoarding petroleum products,” he stated.

    But some of the questions on the lips of some Nigerians are how will the social protection provision in the 2016 budget get to all Nigerians that will be adversely affected by the pump price increase? Is there any proper measure in place for this?

    Will oil marketers, that have held past administrations to ransom and made them dance to their tune, now allow pump price go below the official maximum price of N145 per litre, knowing their craze for maximum profits?

    While Kachikwu had also told State House correspondents that the leadership of the Senate, House of Representatives, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Labour Unions (NLC, TUC, NUPENG, and PENGASSAN) were part of the decision to increase pump price, it was surprising that NLC immediately issued a statement stating that it will resist the increase in fuel price.

    The Senate has also been reported to have scheduled debate on the matter by senators when the upper chamber resumes plenary this week.

    Also a few hours after the price increment announcement, NUPENG and PENGASSAN immediately scheduled a meeting of the unions billed for Calabar to deliberate on the matter.

    One cannot but wonder who is really trying to deceive Nigerians here.

    It was as if all the stakeholders were not fully involved in the process but only brought in at the last minutes to give impression that proper consultation was carried out before arriving at the increment.

    It could also have been deliberate and a wise move as those bodies might have resisted the change and made it impossible for the new price to be announced.

    With the new pump price now in place, there is no doubt that Nigerians are now indeed at the mercy of oil marketers.

    Some Nigerians have continued to wonder if it will be the best for Nigerians in the long run pointing out that some of the marketers have severally manipulated the system by hoarding and diverting fuel just to create artificial scarcity for their selfish gains.

    With free interaction of the forces of demand and supply, economic principles believe that prices of products and services, including oil can truly  go lower or higher than the N145 benchmark per litre.

    But the fear is whether the marketers will allow the price to freely go below the benchmark as they could still hang together as a body under the new price regime and go to any length to achieve maximum profit.

    Another question is whether the marketers that have been very difficult to monitor over the years can now be properly checked by the DPR and PPPRA under the new circumstances.

    All these issues need to be properly analyzed otherwise Nigerians will suffer more at the mercy of the oil marketers.

    But the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) are among the bodies that have hailed Buhari’s administration for the political will to remove the subsidy.

    They believed that the step will make foreign reserves available for the real sector and boost speedy development of the Nigeria economy.

    It is hoped that these projections and calculations will come to reality in order to place Nigeria on the path of growth. That is the dream of many Nigerians.

     

    Hitting the ground running

     

    It is no longer news that the 2016 Appropriation bill has been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. But how will it be implemented in the next seven months and impact positively on the lives of Nigerians, knowing that about five months is already gone in the year.

    With the overview of the 2016 Budget and the Strategic Implementation Plan made public last Thursday by the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, many economic analysts believed that it can really become a budget of change if properly implemented.

    Problems of some beautiful past budgets on paper, the analysts pointed out, had always been with budget implementation. They believed that Nigerians will be better for it if the 2016 Budget can achieve at least 70 percent implementation.

    This is a wake-up call for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies not to delay in hitting the ground running as Nigerians anxiously wait for the ‘change’.

     

  • Why marketers should support our $150m jetty, by Oando

    Why marketers should support our $150m jetty, by Oando

    To ease pressure on the Nigeria National petroleum Corporation (NNPC)-owned New oil Jetty (NOJ), marketers have been advised to patronise the $150 million jetty being built by Oando Plc.

    Oando Marketing Chief Operating Officer Mrs Olaposi Williams said congestion at NOJ would disappear on completion of the Jetty.

    Mrs. Williams  spoke with to The Nation on the sideline at the commissioning of Sapara Road in Apapa, Lagos constructed by Oando.

    She said the Oando Jetty, which is in Lagos, has about 30,000-40,000 tonnes capacity. It will serve oil marketing companies, NNPC and other companies operating in Lagos, she added. The jetty is located in the deep water at Marina, which would make it easier for bigger vessels to berth and further aid the growth of oil marketing companies.

    Mrs Williams said efforts were being made to partner with other oil firms to use the Oando Jetty in order  to decongest NOJ.

    She said: “The Oando Jetty has 30,000-40,000 tonnes capacity as against NOJ that has between 22,000 to 25,000 tonnes capacity. Also the jetty, which would be ready in the next few months, can accommodate four mother vessels. This means that more oil companies can take delivery of petroleum products at the Jetty without stress.

    “Collaboration is ongoing between Oando and other companies such as Mobil, MRS and others to use the Jetty. We are trying two major goals through Oando Jetty.”

    According to her, the use of Oando Jetty by Oando and others would help reduce congestion at NOJ, while at the same time help bring down the demurrage.

    Olaposi said the cost of demurrage paid by oil companies using jetty for their operation is very high, adding demurrage would come down when there is alternative to NOJ.

    She said there would be improvement in the operations of oil firms once demurrage cost is reduced.

    Olaposi said Oando would open more retail outlets across the country in order to improve the distribution of its white products.

    She said in the nearest future, the gridlock occasioned by the parking of trucks in Apapa, would be eliminated, adding that Oando would come out with sanctions for its drivers who park trucks on the road, thereby impeding the flow of vehicles.

    “Our Truck Marshaling Yard 11, which we commissioned and the Truck Marshaling Yard 1 that would be ready soon have standard operating procedures. One of the procedures is that any driver who does not have a business to do at the Yards would not be allow to park. This means that when a driver parks aimlessly and causes traffic, he would be arrested by the company,” she said.

  • Gunmen kidnap The Nation marketer

    Gunmen kidnap The Nation marketer

    Two gunmen abducted yesterday, a marketer with The Nation, Mrs Joke Ajayi.

    She was said to have been abducted in the Latoogun area of Ijebu Ode in Ijebu Ode Local Government area of the Ogun State.

    The woman was said to be on her way to where newspaper agents converge to collect papers around 5.30am when she was abducted.

    A colleague, who was with her, said she was asked to lie face-down when they were taking her away.

    She said the gunmen came in an Opel Astra car.

    The witness said she could not identify the car’s colour because it was still dark.

    Mrs Ajayi’s colleague, Abdul-Rasaq Oyeneyin, who spoke with the abductors, said they initially demanded N50 million, but when he called back, it was reduced to N20 million.

    He said the woman’s abduction paralysed activities yesterday as most of the marketers were running around to ensure her release. The incident has been reported at Igbeba Police Station.

    “We have been praying since morning and we could not even eat. We are helpless. We are going through hell. We are sad. We need help. She is a single mother who is struggling to survive. Where do you think she can get such amount of money?” he queried.

    Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi could not be reached for comment.

  • Oil marketer paid for fuel not imported, witness tells court

    A Lagos High Court, Ikeja heard yesterday that an oil marketer, Rowaye Jubril, did not import the petroleum products for which he obtained subsidy payment.

    A prosecution witness, Mr. Lawal Ahmed, said this at the court presided over by Justice Lateefa Okunnu in the ongoing trial of the oil marketer over allegations of N963.7 million subsidy fraud.

    Jubril and his company, Brila Energy Ltd, were accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of being culpable in a N963.7 million subsidy fraud.

    The matter was adjourned till April 8 for continuation of trial.