The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has decried the high level of harassment and intimidation meted on its members by task force officials and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Rivers State Chairman of IPMAN, Sunny Nkpe disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Port-Harcourt.
Nkpe also decried the illegal sale of fuel price beyond the Government official pump price of eighty-seven naira by the private deport owners. The state IPMAN Chairman Sunny Nkpe while calling on Government at all levels to work in synergy with the Union to avert the current fuel scarcity experienced in the state, urged the department of petroleum resources, DPR to prevail on the task force officials and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to stop their unwholesome practices.
“We want to alert the public and call on government attention and other relevant bodies responsible for strategizing and cooperating with us in other to avert the scarcity of petroleum products in the state.
“If anything happens in our way of operations and objectives of getting the products to consumers you will agree with me that the resultant effect will be scarcity.
“We have always said that we need a level playing ground so that we can sustain supply.
“IPMAN has expressed concern over the continuous intimidation and harassment of its members by different task forces in the state and the union is warning that if this trend is not checked, it may lead to fuel scarcity.
“IPMAN has tried to make sure that there is always availability of petroleum products to the public and to maintain official pump price despite the challenges.
“IPMAN is also frowning to the situation whereby the Private Depot Operators jack up pump prices and when IPMAN members went to buy it becomes difficult to sell in our stations”.
In the same vein, another member of the Union and Chairman of the Elders’ Council IPMAN, Port-Harcourt department, Richard Orianwo narrated how private deport owners had started selling beyond the approved Government pump price illegally.
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