The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has distanced itself from what it described as misleading comments from one Tafida Suleiman, who is priming oil marketers to prepare to go on strike saying there were no such plans.
IPMAN’s President, Debo Ahmed told journalists in Abuja at the weekend that the Association has no plan whatsoever to shut down operations as that would mean peppering Nigerians with more hardship and derailing efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in sanitising the petroleum industry.
Ahmed who spoke through IPMAN Secretary, Mr John Kekeocha, also denied the allegation of extortion leveled against the Petroleum Tankers Division (PTD) of the National Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG); insisting that no tanker is forced to part with N150,000 or N200,000 before or after loading.
The IPMAN scribe further labeled Suleiman and his group “a gathering of economic saboteurs who want to sabotage the efforts of Mr. President in tackling the issue of petroleum scarcity and over bloated subsidy payments that necessitated its removal”.
He further advised members to go about their businesses and ensure there is availability of petroleum products to efficiently run the economy.
“IPMAN is an association that runs its affairs in line with the 1997 constitution as affirmed by the Supreme Court. People should not drag the association into crisis with their egocentric interest and bad politics.
“The National exco is saddled with the responsibility of interfacing with other stakeholders. The allegation of planning to go on strike over allegation of extortion does not hold water as no such money is paid to anyone.
“Security agencies should be alert to arrest and prosecute those who want themselves to be used to frustrate the efforts of this administration.
“We are in co-operation with PTD of NUPENG and other sister associations.
We implore the FG to issue an importation license to IPMAN to enable us to compete with other actors in a deregulated regime’, Kekeocha stated.
