The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Thursday stated its members would not embark on a nationwide strike as being predicted.
In an interview with newsmen in Lagos, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, IPMAN’s National Operations Controller, provided the assurance.
It was vital, according to Osatuyi, to refute the claim that lPMAN members intended to shut down their stations.
He claimed that IPMAN members will receive direct sales from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) at the official ex-depot cost.
He said that the over 2,000 ticket backlog for IPMAN members was currently being handled.
Osatuyi said: “Nigerians should not engage in any panic buying as we are entering Christmas period.
“Our wide network nationwide makes us the perfect outlets to ensure sustained distribution of petroleum products across the country.”
In response to a deadline given to marketers by the Department of State Security (DSS), the Ogun State chapter of IPMAN threatened to close all of its locations in the state on December 10.
The DSS had issued a countrywide order requiring all gas stations to sell fuel at the set price and had threatened to shut down those that didn’t.
According to the reporter who also kept an eye on the fuel situation in Lagos, several filling stations are steadily reducing their wait times.
Only the largest oil marketers offer fuel at a regulated price between N169 and N170 per litre, while stations owned by independent marketers continue to sell it for between N220 and N260.
The “black market” practise of selling petrol on highways is rapidly dying off.
At Apapa and dockyard depots, marketers are loading a lot of petroleum products for delivery to different states.
In addition, Mr. Ahmed Farouk, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), promised Nigerians that there will be enough petroleum products available during the holiday season.
