TheCable

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) says its members are not responsible for the current petrol scarcity.

Femi Adelaja, IPMAN Mosinmi depot chairman, Ogun, in a statement at the weekend, said petrol is not available in any of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) depots across the country. 

He said the ex-depot price of petrol is now N220 a litre across private depots in Lagos. 

According to him, marketers resort to buying the product from private depots, which sell the product at exorbitant prices. 

He, therefore, attributed the current scarcity to federal government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) failure to make the products available for its members at affordable prices.

“The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in Ogun State has noticed with serious concerns, the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly referred to as petrol across towns and cities in Ogun State, with its attendant hike in the dispensing price above the federal government stipulated price,” the statement reads. 

“Be informed that this crisis currently being experienced by Nigerians over scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, was not caused by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), but, rather, the Federal Government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which  have failed to make the product available for our members at affordable prices.

“As we speak, PMS is not available in any of the NNPC’s depots across the country. The few litres being sold to members of the public by our members were secured from the management of private depots in Lagos, which would sell the products to us at exorbitant prices of between N215  and N220 per liter. 

“Prior till now, IPMAN members do get our supplies from the NNPC depots at N148.17, but since it’s not available in these depots, the private depot owners in Lagos now sell to us at a price of N215.30, excluding the cost of transportation and other handling and overhead costs.

“So, by the time we add other overhead costs to the price of purchase, the landing cost of fuel to between N245 and N250 per litre, excluding transportation, with cost charges  of N15 per liter, from Lagos to Abeokuta depending on the location to offload such.

“This implies that for us to dispense the product, which we get from a third-hand to members of the public and also meet up with the other overhead costs including running of the filling stations on generator, payment of staff, we have to sell at the price of N270 per liter which we are selling currently across Ogun State.”

Adelaja, however, advised the federal government to remove the subsidy on petrol and ensure a total deregulation of the sector. 

He also asked the FG to dedicate each of the NNPC depots for the service of the IPMAN members in each of the states, including Kwara.

For the past few weeks, the scarcity of petrol has pervaded several states, hitting commuters. 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) had said the petrol scarcity experienced in parts of the country is caused by the ongoing road projects in Lagos.