*IPMAN and PETROAN members have raised the alarm over alleged threat to seal off filling stations in Rivers State, insisting a new price regime will worsen hardship of Nigerian consumers

Alexander Davis | 绿帽献妻

Oil marketers, under the auspices of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), in Rivers State, have raised the alarm over a purported threat by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), otherwise known as ‘The Authority’ to shut petrol stations in the South-South state.

The oil marketers told reporters their conthe members鈥� failure to comply with a directive compelling fuel retail outlets to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly referred to as petrol.

The marketers argued that a new price regime would further add to the current economic hardship of Nigerians.

According to the fuel marketers, stakeholders in the petroleum sector must be well-engaged before any further increase in the price of petrol.

Mr. Francis Dimkpa, Chairman of PETROAN, in Rivers State, said: 鈥淚f there is any new development in the system, we as stakeholders will sit together and know how to implement it.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 come and give us instructions that are not palatable to the masses.

“We are interfacing with the masses, so you can鈥檛 sit in your office and know what the people are facing.鈥�

The PETROAN Chairman also noted the NMDPRA’s alleged threat to seal off filling stations in Rivers State would be disastrous to the economy of the state.

He stated: 鈥淚f you have a price of N148 official and it鈥檚 not going down well with the masses, now you want to increase it to 180 Naira.

“I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to go down well with the masses.”

Dimkpa also contended “that is why we are saying let us sit down and discuss this issue so that we can decide the way forward and you are saying we shouldn鈥檛 discuss it?

鈥淵ou want to give us instruction that you will shut down every by Monday.

“Rivers people cannot suffer for the problem of this nation.”

It is recalled that H.E. Chief Timipre Silva, Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, recently dismissed reports of a directive from the Ministry to petroleum marketers to increase the pump price of petrol.

The Minister reportedly said such a directive was not known to the ministry.

A plot to jack up fuel price for consumers, says PETROAN

Amid the confusion in the oil market in the country, the PETROAN Chairman, however, alleged that the current lingering scarcity of the petroleum product might be a veiled attempt by the government to secretly increase the pump price of petrol.

Yet, Dimkpa advised the Federal Government to take action and address the fuel crisis in Nigeria.

He noted: 鈥淲hat we want us to discuss is how are filling stations owners going to be getting petrol directly from this depot at the government official rate.

“Who is going to enforce it. If they are able to enforce that, we will sell at government approved rate.鈥�

Measures to address fuel crisis, by PETROAN

In order to address the current petrol crisis in the West African country, the PETROAN Chairman suggested that 鈥減etrol should be given in proper quantity to depots, especially government-owned depots.

“If you give fuel to depots, with time these prices will come down and better still subsidy should be removed.鈥�

Also speaking on the development in the petroleum sector, Dr. Joseph Obele, Chairman of IPMAN, claimed that at the moment, petroleum marketers are still buying at N250 per litre at depots and selling at N290 per litre.

鈥淎sking us to increase the pump price further is inhumane,” stated Obele.

The IPMAN Chairman rather urged the government to focus on increasing the supply of petroleum products to the depots, and ensure that they sell at the official price.

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