…Urges govt to review DPR activities in Apapa
Kunle Kalejaye
09 February 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN has appealed to the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR to sanction all private depots in Apapa area of Lagos selling above the regulated petrol price of N133.28
Chairman, IPMAN, Western Zone, Alhaji Debo Ahmed, who stated on Wednesday in Lagos said 90 percent of petroleum products imported into the country were distributed through the government-owned depot which is currently shut down
As a result, private owned depots are been used to distribute these products in place of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC.
Ahmed explained that many depot owners at Apapa sold petrol between N140 and N145, against the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA price template of N133.28kobo.
“It is extremely difficult for marketers outside Lagos to buy petrol at N145 from the depots and sell at the same price to consumers,” Ahmed said.
“The marketers in Ilorin, Ore, Ondo, Akure, Ibadan and Osogbo, are running at a loss,” he said.
Ahmed also appealed to the government to review the activities of DPR officials at Apapa private depots who connive with depot owners to sell products above regulated price adding marketers within South-West zone finds it difficult to buy petrol in Apapa.
“Federal Government should wade into the matter and wield the big stick on dishonest depot owners taking advantage of the shutdown of the government- owned depots to make life difficult for his members.
“We marketers within the South-West – Lagos, Ibadan, Ore, Ilorin and Ekiti – find it extremely difficult to load at Apapa depot due to bottleneck at the depot,’’ the IPMAN chairman said.