03 October 2015, Ilorin – Petrol marketers in Kwara State have protested over the non-payment of Petroleum Equilisation Fund (PEF) for the past four months.
Checks revealed that, the development had continued to give the members Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) headaches to the extent that, it had adversely affected their business.
The aggrieved members who came to the office of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin on Friday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and ensure the PEF was released in order to bring new lease of life to their business.
The spokesperson of the group, Alhaji Yusuf Gambari explained to journalists that, “as marketers in this current dispensation, we are finding it tough to stay in the business”.
According to him, “we go to Lagos to buy PMS at N82 per liter while transportation fare from Lagos to Ilorin is N5 per liter”.
“The license the NNPC issued to us, they promised that we shall get all petroleum products from Oke-Oyi fuel depot whereby the products are not secured at Oke-Oyi depot, the government mandated the PEF to pay our transportation but for the past four months now, the PEF did not pay the money to us”.
“All the marketers obtained loans from banks to fund their businesses and with this development, they are running at a loss because they have to pay their staffs and also maintain their fuel stations thereby making them to spend from their capital funds.
“We therefore appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene so that the executive director of PEF will release our money”.
*Hammed Shittu – Thisday
