OpeOluwani Akintayo
18 January 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPMAN, has explained reasons behind the prolonged queues for petrol at filling stations across the country.
DAPMAN members currently own the largest number of filling stations in Nigeria.
While speaking with SweetcrudeReports on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary for the association, Olufemi Adewole, disclosed that DAPMAN still does not have enough products to go round its members, including members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN.
Adewole said DAPMAN does not expect the queues for petrol to have persisted up till now, adding that the association already distributed to some of its members, products supplied to them by the NNPC.
“Presently, we don’t have enough products with us. We already distributed what was given to us. But if they give us more, we will distribute more,” he said.
He revealed that presently, the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, has refused to give products to any other filling station other than those of their members.
MOMAN draws its members from Mobil Oil, Conoil, Forte Oil, Oando and Total Oil.
Adewole’s claim that MOMAN had stopped giving petrol to others except for its members, confirms an earlier report that IPMAN now gets products directly from NNPC.
It was gathered that members of IPMAN had started receiving products directly from NNPC since Monday, January 15.
Prior to this development, IPMAN members were getting PMS directly from MOMAN, a situation the independent oil dealers kicked against, as they argued that the association had the highest number of filling stations across the country.
IPMAN had also lamented that MOMAN and DAPMAN gave the products to them at a higher price.
Before now, NNPC gave products directly to only MOMAN and DAPMAN, leaving out IPMAN.
The National Vice President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, had also told correspondents on Monday that the recent fuel queues in the country became largely pronounced because most independent marketers had no product to dispense despite having widespread outlets.
He stated that fuel queues, particularly in the northern part of the country, would soon fizzle out, as the NNPC had commenced the direct supply of products to IPMAN members since Friday, January 12.
Adewole added that DAPMAN is now working with NNPC and IPMAN in making sure products go round the country.
When SweetcrudeReports put a call through to MOMAN’s spokesperson, Obafemi Olawore, to ask why the association had stopped giving supplies to members of IPMAN, as his usual habit, he did not pick up his call.
As at Tuesday, SweetcrudeReports still noticed light queues at filling stations across Lagos State.
Adewole added that the new NNPC policy is that all prepaid processes for the products be stopped until those already paid for have been fully distributed.
“So, the situation is now that some of our members (DAPMAN) can’t buy products for distribution because NNPC said those who had earlier paid for the products would be attended to first before further payment.”
