Eniola Olayemi
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has denied a planned reduction in the Petrol pump price to N140 per liter.
The plan was allegedly taken to encourage Nigerians travel to cast their votes.
But, the National President of IPMAN, Sanusi Sari, who made the clarifications in Abuja yesterday, denied the reduction announced by the IPMAN National Controller, Operations, and Mike Osatuyi earlier in the week. Osatuyi had said the pump price would sell for N140 per liter in IPMAN-member filling stations across the country from February 20 to 25 2019.
Sanusi disclosed that the IPMAN has no intention to take any such decision without proper and adequate consultations with the regulatory government agencies. A statement in Abuja yesterday by the National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Ukadike Chinedu quoted Sari as saying: “IPMAN has not received any correspondence from Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) that pump price has been reduced, or is to be reduced.”
He said IPMAN feels the pains of millions of Nigerians who felt disappointed, as well as many who may end up being disenfranchised by the INEC’s sudden decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reschedule the general election. He however added that they have not reached any conclusion on pump price reduction, stressing that the proponents of such information want to cause artificial scarcity of petroleum product. He commended the Federal Government and the NNPC for making petroleum products available all through the election period.
IPMAN wished Nigerians well in their individual and collective efforts to perform their civic responsibility of voting on Saturday February 23 in choosing their leaders, the statement said. The association urged Nigerians to discountenance the rumored price reduction, even as state Chairman of the IPMAN in Bauchi State, Rabiu Ahmed Baba said yesterday that the state would not obey any directive to reduce fuel price.
Meanwhile, the National Executive leadership of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has affirmed that there would be uninterrupted distribution of petroleum products during the polls. National President of NUPENG, Williams Akporeha, in a statement also notified its members to remain unfettered in discharging their legitimate duties so that the electoral process will be smooth and hitch-free.
