By Abiola Olawale
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as fuel, has reportedly started selling for N2500 per litre across several retail outlets in Akwa Ibom State.
It was gathered that several retail outlets under the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) engaged in panic sales over a lingering faceoff between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Joint Task Force (JTF).
The New Diplomat gathered that the faceoff has escalated as NUPENG stopped tankers from entering Akwa Ibom for the past few days.
The trouble was said to have begun after the men of the JTF, Operation Delta Safe (ODS) allegedly seized PMS-loaded trucks owned by NUPENG members four months ago.
In a statement jointly signed by the IPMAN’s Chairman, Coordinating Committee, Francis Udoyen, and Secretary, Prince Ekom Idemudo, the association called on filling stations run by independent marketers to shut down operations.
The statement reads in part: “As part of our obligation to stand for each other in and off-season, 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.”
However, Akwa Ibom State Chairman of the Natural Oil and Gas Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), Sam Osung, former Aide to Governor Umo Eno, blamed the state government for failing to wield the big stick against perceived excesses of NUPENG and IPMAN.
Osung accused the stakeholder groups of overreaching themselves in the state, arguing that if they felt offended by the JTF’s decision to impound their fuel trucks, the lawful thing to do was to go to court to prove their case and not hold fuel consumers to ransom.
He said: “Men of the ODS under the 2 Brigade, Nigeria Army, arrested two trucks of PMS and 44 drums of PMS from six filling stations at Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area over four months ago. The filling stations were accused of involvement in petroleum products smuggling.
“Officials of IPMAN addressed a press conference demanding the immediate release of the trucks. Subsequently, they shut down their filling stations and embarked on a protest in Oron LGA.
“The ODS decided that if the owners consider themselves innocent they should go to Court. We know that smuggling is an act of economic sabotage and an innocent marketer should have gone to Court to prove his innocence.
“The marketers are trying to bully the Army to release their trucks without proving their innocence. They have hired the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTDs), to stop products from entering Akwa Ibom since last Monday.
“The Army was informed, and they wanted to rescue the impounded trucks and escorted the trucks to the owners while requesting the documents authorising them to stop tankers from entering any state.
“The government is aware of the excesses and no one is addressing this. The government should say something. The government should act as a government.
“They did it before with the allegation that I was their problem because I know what they know, and even know their rights based on their constitution. They ganged up and the governor fired me.
“That didn’t solve the problem. I wish the government was able to address the matter based on the rights and privileges of everyone who was involved. The government was more interested in making me the scapegoat.
“The issue of the excesses of NUPENG wasn’t addressed, and today, they have illegally stopped tankers from entering Akwa Ibom for about a week and IPMAN has resumed panic sales with a hike in price.”
