The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has set up a task force to stop the hoarding of petroleum products by retail outlets.
Waiting lines emerged at many retail outlets in different parts of the country, while many others have shut down their operations, stirring panic in the buying public.
The situation forced motorists to buy petrol from ‘black marketers’ at exploitative prices, ranging from N1,000 to N1,500 for a four-litre gallon.
In Tsanyawa, Bichi, Dawakin-Tofa and Gwarzo LGAs of Kano state, reports show that some marketers offer petrol at N174 per litre.
A motorist, Idris Abdullahi, stated that he moved around the town to purchase petrol on Saturday evening but couldn’t find any, causing him to purchase from the black marketers.
Abdullahi disclosed that he paid N1,100 for a four-litre gallon of petrol against N700 or N800 for the same quantity at a retail outlet.
Another Kano resident, Malam Muazu Kafar-Na’isa, a driver, stated that he purchased four litres of petrol at N1,500 at Tsanyawa on Sunday evening.
The chairman of IPMAN, Kano zone, Bashir Dan-Mallam, stated that the task force would collaborate with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to make certain that petrol is available in retail outlets s across the country.
Dan-Mallam threatened that defaulting marketers would be sanctioned.
“IPMAN will not allow some unscrupulous elements within its fold to inflict hardship on innocent Nigerians,” he said.
He disclosed that available records showed that 210 petroleum tankers were loaded with the products for distribution nationwide on Monday.
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He urged Nigerians not to panic stating that the product being supplied is more than sufficient for their consumption.
“I urge people not to panic. That panicking is what causes long queues at filling stations because people have the impression that the petrol would be scarce, that is why you see somebody with five cars and jerry cans come to the filling station to buy fuel. This is what causes congestion,” Dan-Mallam said.
“Let me call on Nigerians to rest assured that IPMAN, NNPC and other stakeholders are on top of the situation and be rest assured that this problem will not last long.”
Dan-Mallam further assured Nigerians that the government had said that there was no plan to hike fuel price.
“IPMAN had contacted all stakeholders in the petroleum sector, and they assured them that there is no plan to increase the price of fuel at the moment,” he added.
