10 July 2013, Benin City – Following the persistent scarcity of kerosene in Edo State, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has promised to collaborate with the state chapter of the association to check the activities of touts during loading of kerosene at the Benin depot.
On the factionalisation of the association in the state, IPMAN said that Chief Solomon Ogbewe, remains the authentic chairman of the Midwestern zone of the association until a fresh election was conducted.
National Adviser of IPMAN and former Vice President of the association, Mr. Ogbeide Konkon,who spoke to Vanguard, lamented that from officials records available, only 50 trucks loaded with kerosene were recorded for the zone in a year, regretting that many trucks were being diverted through the activities of touts, thereby creating artificial scarcity in the state.
Noting that the purported election which saw the emergence of one Silvanus Idanwekhai as chairman of the association in the zone illegal, Konkon said: “We have investigated the reasons why we continue to have scarcity of kerosene, even when people have been loading the product. We discovered that in one year, only 50 trucks of kerosene were loaded, so others were loaded illegally through what they call ‘chukuly’ loading.
“So, the national secretariat and the leadership here led by Chief Ogbewe want to stop the rubbish. But we have to warn that the product will not come to Benin depot if there is chaos, as product will not get to marketers as at when due and that is why we must stop the current crisis in the association which is a distraction.”
“Election decision comes from the national secretariat and I want to advise our colleagues to withdraw the cases in court so that we all can sit down and fix a time table for election. The problem we have been having in the Midwestern zone of the association is at Benin Depot, as certain elements in the depot have been engaging IPMAN in serial litigations for over 20 years that is why we have not been able to produce a president from the zone.“
– Simon Ebegbulem, Vanguard.