Inter and intra – city fares have risen by over 200 percent in Akwa Ibom State following the shutting down of stations and other Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) outlets by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), which jacked – up fuel prices to between N2,000 and N2,500 per liter, checks by LEADERSHIP revealed yesterday.
Explaining reasons behind the action which took effect Tuesday, in a statement made available to our correspondent, the chairman of IPMAN coordinating committee in the state, Comrade Francis Udoyen, and secretary, Prince Ekom Idemudo, said it became pertinent to call out their members for a solidarity action to press home their demand for the release of the PMS – ladened trucks seized four months ago by operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF).
The statement tagged: “Notice of of Withdrawal of Services Over Confiscation of PMS – Loaded Trucks by JTF Personnel,” reads:
“As part of our obligation to stand for each other in season and of seasons, equally drawing strength from the resolution taken at the last emergency congress over members’ trucks in the custody of the JTF operatives, for four months now, you are hereby directed to close your filling stations from the public with effect from Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
“This action has the approval of our national office, and non-compliance will be visited with appropriate consequences.”
Describing the IPMAN’s action as criminal, the state chairman of the Natural Oil and Gas Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), Comrade Sam Osung, a former aide to governor Umo Eno, blamed government for refusing to wield the big stick against the perpetrators of criminalities in the sector.
