The price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol has risen to an all-time high of between N1,250 and N1,500 a litre in Akwa Ibom State as virtually all petrol stations have been shut, leading to long queues at few stations that opened for business on Monday.
Commensurately, transport fares for intra and inter-states’ routes, have risen by over 100 percent, amid complaints by stranded motorists.
Hitherto, petrol price hovers between N690 by major marketers, and N700 by the independent marketers of the product in the state.
LEADERSHIP gathered the new price regime followed the withdrawal of services by the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), citing extortion and seizure of their trucks by the task force working for one of the industry regulators, the Natural Oil and Gas Association of Nigeria (NOGASA).
The state IPMAN secretary, Comrade Ekom Udeme Udoh, in an interview in Uyo, the state capital has given reasons why the leadership of the oil sector union has directed its members to suspend dispensation of products across the state forthwith.
“Over five of our tankers with petroleum products worth millions of naira have been impounded by NOGASA, and all efforts to secure the release of the trucks have failed hence we decided to embark on the strike,” he explained.
He alleged that in addition to impounding their trucks containing petroleum products which he said could go up in flames due to poor handling, he claimed that members of the association were being subjected to extortion.
Udoh lamented that though the matter had been reported to security agencies including the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), nothing has been done to release the trucks, even as he wondered why NOGASA should be operating in the state.
It was gathered the security agencies, government and other relevant agencies have impressed it on the IPMAN and PTD, to resume to no avail, but the striking unions refused to back down, maintaining that petrol outlets would remain shut until their impounded trucks are released.
However, Sam Osung, the state chairman of NOGASA denied extorting money from IPMAN and impounding their trucks, explaining that all tankers do not belong to IPMAN, as other major marketers do own trucks as well.
He lauded the efforts of Governor Umo Eno in stepping into the crisis, adding that IPMAN lacks the power to question the operations of NOGASA.
The governor was meeting industry stakeholders drawn from across the zone and the state at Government House, Uyo, with a view to resolving the matter at the time of filing this report.
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