Petroleum Marketers threaten strike over hike in petrol pump price

The South-West chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has threatened to stop lifting of petroleum products over the ‘unfavourable and unfortunate’ hike in the petrol pump price.

The South-West Chairman of IPMAN, Alhaji Dele Tajudeen spoke with journalists in Abeokuta on Sunday on the new petrol pump price which was announced by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency last week.

The IPMAN Chairman said the new price regime of N143.8 came as a surprise.

He said that the government jerked up the depot price from N111.78 to N133.72k, and the pump price to N143.8 without considering marketers’ plights.

Tajudeen disclosed that the IPMAN executive committee in the zone had resolved to embark on strike if the government failed to look into the issue.

He added that the PPPRA was not consistent in dealing with the stakeholders, saying the government ought to have involved marketers and other parties before announcing any increment.

The IPMAN boss berated the PPPRA for announcing new price regime in the pump price of petroleum products without adequate consideration of the welfare of his members.

He said “It is very disheartening to hear that a new price regime is coming to effect without considering the plight of marketers who bought these products at an expensive price.

“We want to categorically state here that the last time when Federal Government put the price at N145, we still complained that it was inadequate but, now we can describe it as worse.

“In May this year, when the price was cut to N125, many of our members ran into debts as the landing cost and depot price were at a loss. To pay bank loan became a serious issue for us.”

The IPMAN South West Chairman said some of them obtained loans from banks with interest to run their businesses.

He said “We are still struggling with debts incurred before this increase with nothing to show for it, or how can somebody work with only N2 and yet we will pay workers, maintain the loans and also fulfill our obligations to the government.

“Our members had lost close to N100m as a result of unexpected reduction of pump price in recent times as many were having large volumes of petroleum products in their storage prior to such reductions.

Tajudeen lamented while IPMAN members were still grasping with huge loss, many of which were bank loans, the NNPC/ PPPRA again did further monthly reduction.