The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has said it is engaging the services of the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products, (ADITOP) to weaken threat by the National Association of Transport Owners (NARTO) to embark on industrial action.
IPMAN’s President, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, who made the disclosure to the media, said this would help maintain sanity in the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry.
According to him, IPMAN is not part of any trade association and would not go on strike to further compound the predicament of Nigerians.
He said members are already heavily indebted to banks and therefore cannot afford to stagnate their businesses, adding that already many have shut down operations as a result of harsh operating environment.
The President said IPMAN is now ready to confront the excesses of the NARTO and Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) who illegally fleece marketers.
“They are not registered under oil and gas but should operate as dry dock. But today, they are gradually redefining operations of marketers who have signed bulk purchase arrangement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited.
“We have lost over N27 billion over time from illegal fees they collect from marketers. They collect about N45,000 per truck and taking in millions that ought to be part of our margins and are building stations and purchasing trucks at the expense of duly licensed marketers”, he said.
Okoronkwo said the marketers have decided to clip their wings and will not allow such fraudulent practice to continue.
He raises concern over dwindling margins of marketers and heavy debts hanging on the neck of members.
“The products we purchase with N1 million in the past is now about N7 million without additional margin to operators.” he noted.
NARTO had threatened to stop haulage of petroleum products across the country over N430 per litre cost of diesel and other operational challenges.
It’s National President, Yusuf Lawal Othman, stated in Abuja recently that operational cost has become unbearable and would in the coming week cripple haulage of products.
While some states, including the Federal Capital Territory, have been struggling with fuel scarcity despite promises of sufficient petroleum products by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Othman said the challenge could escalate across the country.
SOURCE: thetidenewsonline.com
