By Lawal Gwanda: Katsina State Governor Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, has summoned an emergency meeting with officials of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and that of the State Task Force on monitoring of procurement and distribution of petroleum products.
The meeting, in a statement signed by the Director General on New Media which was held at Muhammadu Buhari House Katsina, was to discuss ways of improving the supply of the products in the state.
Addressing the meeting, Governor Masari said the decision to have a meeting with the Major Marketers in the State was the only step to reduce hardship faced by people of the state in search of the commodity, coupled with the scarcity of new re-designed naira notes. The Governor emphasised that the meeting would allow the State Government know more about the causes and problems faced by the marketers which lead to the escalating fuel shortage in the state.
The Chairman of IPMAN Katsina State chapter informed the Governor that the NNPC approved for them to buy PMS at the cost of N172-174 ex Lagos and directed that they should sell it at the cost of N210 per liter, but up to the time of their meeting with the Governor they are yet to get even a liter from NNPC.
They now resorted to buying from Major Marketers at exorbitant prices and even the Major Marketers have now refused to sell to them directly. They have to go through a third party which has its own risks of falling into the hands of fraudsters.
The second problem faced by the marketers is the creation of a Task Force by the DPR which is threatening to close any petrol station selling above the control price of N210 per liter.
IPMAN shed more light to the Governor on the impossibility for its members to buy petrol at the cost of 300 to 310 per liter from Major Marketers, then transport it and sell at 210 per liter to the public.
This according to IPMAN was the main reason its members now decided to close down their Filling Stations until the issue is resolved between them and the NNPC.
The Chairman further requested the Governor to intervene on their behalf for the NNPC to start loading their trucks which are already in Lagos, some of them for up to three (3) weeks without getting the products even from the Major Marketers.
The Governor immediately intervened by reaching out to the leadership of the NNPC who promised him dispensing the products to all the Major marketers who are registered with the NNPC as from Thursday 9th February, 2023.
The Governor also requested the leadership to register all the marketers operating in Katsina State who are yet to be registered with the NNPC. To this end, their list has been compiled to be forwarded to NNPC leadership for further necessary action.
He therefore assured that the Government will do everything within it’s powers to ease the suffering being faced by the public due to the scarcity of the petroleum products.
