24 July 2014, Lagos – The Abia State Government has allayed fears of petrol consumers in the state over the threat by the Independent Petrol Marketers Association of Nigeria, of a looming fuel scarcity.
IPMAN threatened to embark on a strike that may cripple the economic activities in the state if the imposition of a caretaker committee chairman was not reversed.
But government said it had mapped out strategies to ensure consumers of petrol products regularly access the commodity.
Addressing journalists yesterday after an emergency meeting of the state’s Executive Council, Chief of Staff , Government House, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, said there was enough petrol product at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Aba depot, warning that nobody will be allowed to cause artificial scarcity in the state.
He denied any government involvement in IPMAN leadership tussle and cautioned that government would not fold its arms while some people unleash untold hardship on the citizenry.
A branch of IPMAN, known as Ukwa-Ngwa Indigenous Petroleum Marketers Forum, had disassociated itself from the imposition of the caretaker chairman of the association.
The chairman of the forum, Chief Godspower Nwadike, had expressed concern over the alleged imposition of Prince Bobby Ugochukwu Dick over the Aba depot of the IPMAN as its chairman.
He accused Commissioner for Petroleum, Don Ubani, of swearing in the “purported caretaker committee” which he said could only cause disaffection and chaos in IPMAN and by extension the entire depot.