By Richards Adeniyi
The Ejigbo Satelitte Depot of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has advised the NNPC to review its present sharing and petroleum distribution formula, if the looming fuel scarcity in Lagos, must be averted.
The Depot Chairman, Alhaji Ayo Alanamu made the appeal in Lagos recently against the backdrop of ongoing poor fuel distribution to stations, noting that the current long fuel queues and poor fuel distribution to filling stations were caused by the significant reduction in distribution and sharing formula to IPMAN members.
“Fuel scarcity within Lagos metropolis is imminent if NNPC fails to reverse to our agreed formula as IPMAN members plan to stage a protest that would disrupt the operations of the depot.
Alanamu said that the NNPC had reversed the initial petroleum distributions sharing formula among marketers which gave IPMAN 60 per cent, MOMAN 20 and NNPC retails 20; to IPMAN 30, MOMAN 20 and NNPC retails 50.
According to him, IPMAN with over 2,500 members cannot be sharing 13 trucks between its members, while an NNPC retail outlet that only has 25-stations gets over 100 trucks.
“We urged NNPC to follow the agreement we had on 60 per cent for IPMAN, 20 per cent for MOMAN and 20 per cent for NNPC retails.
“The arrangement is unfair, unjust, provocative and contrary to what existed at the depot petroleum sharing formula arrangement,” he said.
Alanamu, however said that if the imposed sharing formula was not reversed, IPMAN members would not hesitate to embark on strike that could disrupt the depot operations.
He said that no IPMAN member would buy petrol at N 165 per litre and sell at regulated price of N145 per litre, adding that strike by his marketers was inevitable if the practice continued.
According to him, fuel scarcity is beginning to resurface in most filling stations in Lagos due to the inability of IPMAN members to get the product from depots in western zone depots.
“This has also contributed to the scarcity of petrol and the long queues of trucks awaiting loading at the depots.
“IPMAN marketers hardly load 13 trucks from the depots due to changing in product distribution sharing formula.
“We were loading in the range of 50 trucks daily before it was reduced to 13 trucks.
“That is not enough for marketers to distribute to their customers.
“NNPC should ensure effective supply of product to marketers within the western zone to beef-up storage and loading capacity to at least one million trucks on daily basis.
“This will address frequent fuel challenges in the country,’’ he said.
Alanamu appealed to the government to revive the depots so that they could operate 24-hour daily and facilitate effective service delivery to reduce queues within the depots.