The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Tuesday attributed the increasing scarcity of petroleum products in the country to sabotage.
The Association specifically called on the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) to, as a matter of urgency, transfer or change all depot managers who have stayed in a particular depot for more than 10 years.
Speaking with newsmen in Enugu, the Eastern Zonal chairman of IPMAN,
Chief Chukwudi Ezinwa, blamed PPMC management for allowing depot
managers to stay for as long as 18 years in a particular depot. He then
accused them of sabotaging the system which he noted sometimes leads to
scarcity and hike in prices of petroleum products.
He said: “I think the problem is that most of them have over stayed in a
particular depot where they have made so many friends and in a bid to
satisfy those interests other marketers are suffering. So they should be
transferred so that new people will come and sanitize the place.
“There have been occasions where we accuse a staff of PPMC of taking
bribe to give us product and nothing is done about it. Nobody has ever
set up an inquiry to investigate these allegations and this raises
further question of total corruption in the system.”
He accused the depot managers of frustrating products loading process
meant to ensure availability of products, saying: “Rules are no longer
followed at the depot; all they do is to give priority to the highest
bidders and those loyal to them.
“The report I got from the Unit chairman in Aba shows that the Depot
Manager is not playing according to the rules. PPMC have rules and the
rules are that you release products according to the programme. The last
batch he released was about 90 trucks but only 12 marketers who were in
line got products others were diverted making it difficult for
marketers in the programme to get and sell to the public.”
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