29 June 2015, Aba — The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Aba depot, has tasked the Federal Government to lay fresh pipes on the 54 kilometre Port Harcourt -Aba pipeline route to ensure regular supply of petroleum products to the South East and parts of North Central of the country.
Chairman of IPMAN, Aba depot, Prince Bobby Eberechi Dick, who made the call in Aba, Abia State, said the rustic nature of the pipes, which were prone to leakages whenever products were pumped from Port Harcourt, had affected regular supply of products to the depot.
“The major problem we have in Aba depot is that the pipeline is old. This is a pipeline that was buried far back 1976. So there are leakages here and there because the pipes are weak. ‘’We have been appealing to the federal government to lay another pipeline on the route to enable us have constant supply of fuel,” he said.
He decried the activities of hoodlums who had been vandalizing pipelines, despite efforts of security agents to check the trend. He said: “Since two weeks, PPMC has been making efforts to pump products to us without success, due to vandalisation of pipelines, despite the efforts of security agents.”
The IPMAN boss lamented that due to unavailability of products, marketers in Aba go to Calabar, Port Harcourt and Lagos to buy products, adding that when products were bought from these areas; the landing cost exceeded government approved price, making it difficult for marketers to sell below their cost price. He added that if products were available at the Aba depot, marketers would have no choice than to sell at the approved pump price.
*Ugochukwu Alaribe