The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Kano State branch, and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have formed a joint task force committee to checkmate petroleum scarcity that has rocked the state.
This came when unusual queues returned at filling stations in the commercial city, creating panic buying of the products by motorists.
The scarcity which resurfaced Saturday evening has left many filling stations owned by the Independent Marketers closed in the metropolis.
Speaking to newsmen in Kano, on Tuesday, the Kano branch chairman of IPMAN, Bashir Danmallam, attributed the scarcity of the product on the increase in its price at independent depots, adding that the commodity was also scarce in Port Harcourt and Warri depots.
According to him, the marketers buy petroleum at the rate of N133. 28 at NNPC, but now they had to buy it at N142 to 143 at the independent depots,
He therefore noted that they were at loss if they include transportation fee, and sell the product at the N145 official pump price.
Another reason for the scarcity, according to Mr Danmallam, was the delay in the payment of Equalisation Fund by the federal government to the independent marketers.
He however revealed that, on noticing the situation in Kano, the Managing Director, PPMC, Umar I. Ajiya, quickly intervened and ordered that 50 tankers should be lifted from the state’s depot and distributed to all the filling stations.
He said the committee would be up and doing to ensure that the product had been distributed to all the filling stations around the Kano metropolis, adding that it would also ensure that it was sold at the official pump price.
“By this prompt intervention, I am sure the problem would not persist. We already told you that the era of fuel scarcity is over and we stick to this statement. By God’s grace, this problem would soon be resolved.
“Look at how the MD PPMC made a swift intervention by ordering to lift 50 tankers and distribute around the filling stations in the town. With these kinds of people, NNPC will always be improving,” he said.
As at the time of filing this report, DAILY NIGERIAN observed that the queues at the filling stations had begun to reduce.
