By Felix Kuyinu
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) at the Ejigbo Satelitte Depot has advised the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to make a scrutiny of its present sharing and petroleum distribution formula, so as to curb the persistent fuel scarcity and maintaining its aversion.
The Ejigbo Depot Chairman, Alhaji Ayo Alanamu, made the appeal when addressing newsmen recently in the quest to put on hold the ongoing looming poor fuel distribution to stations, noting that the current long fuel queues and poor fuel distribution to filling stations were caused by the significant reduction in distribution and sharing formula to IPMAN members.
Alanamu stated that fuel scarcity is imminent if NNPC fails to reverse to the agreed formula between NNPC and IPMAN, noting that IPMAN members were planning to stage a rally that would disrupt the operations of the depot.
He said that the NNPC had reversed the initial petroleum distributions sharing formula among marketers which gave IPMAN 60 per cent, MOMAN 20 and NNPC retails 20; to IPMAN 30, MOMAN 20 and NNPC retails 50.
According to him, IPMAN with over 2,500 members cannot be sharing 13 trucks among its members, while an NNPC retail outlet that has only 25 stations gets over 100 trucks.
“We urged NNPC to follow the agreement we had on 60 per cent for IPMAN, 20 per cent for MOMAN and 20 per cent for NNPC retails.
“The arrangement is unfair, unjust, provocative and contrary to what existed at the depot petroleum sharing formula arrangement,” he appealed.
Alanamu, however said that if the imposed sharing formula was not reversed, IPMAN members would not hesitate to embark on strike that could disrupt the depot operations because according to him, no IPMAN member would buy petrol at N165 per litre and sell at regulated price of N145 per litre, adding that the highly potential strike by his marketers was inevitable if the practice continued.
Furthermore, he affirmed that fuel scarcity was beginning to resurface in most filling stations due to the inability of IPMAN members to get the product from depots.
“This has also contributed to the scarcity of petrol and the long queues of trucks awaiting loading at the depots. IPMAN marketers hardly load 13 trucks from the depots due to changing in product distribution sharing formula.
“We were loading in the range of 50 trucks daily before it was reduced to 13 trucks. That is not enough for marketers to distribute to their customers.
“NNPC should ensure effective supply of product to marketers within the western zone to beef-up storage and loading capacity to at least one million trucks on daily basis. This will address frequent fuel challenges in the country.”
He therefore appealed to the government to revive the depots so that they could operate 24 hours daily in order to facilitate effective service delivery to reduce queues within the depots.
