By; Amos Mathew, Kaduna.
Kaduna State chapter of Independent Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Association of Mega Filling Stations Owners of Nigeria (AMFSON) have said that cabals in the oil and gas sector may frustrate the effort of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu in sanitising the oil industry.
According to a statement issued and made available to newsmen by the IPMAN Public Relations Officer (PRO), Bako Abdullahi Yelwa, a statement recently credited to the Minister that Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was in the process of building 109 additional NNPC Mega filling stations may not go down well with all the stakeholders.
“While a section of the industry see this as a welcome development, another section however see it as an unnecessary waste of scarce resources, yet another section see it as a plot to destroy Independent Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Association Of Mega Filling Stations Owners Of Nigeria (AMFSON).
“Most Petroleum Products Marketers believe that this move by Ibe Kachikwu was borne out of flagrant disregard for the rule of law.
“The Minister should ensure that all independent marketers and PPMC/NNPC affiliate stations are supplied adequately with products and he should curb the new cabal in the Oil & Gas Sector, made up of PPMC/NNPC staffs, from frustrating his efforts to rid the petroleum sector of corruption.
“We will however advise President Muhammadu Buhari, who is
also the Minister of Petroleum Resources, to put on hold all plans to build more NNPC mega stations until all refineries have been turned around” the PRO said.
IPMAN Spokesman wondered why the Minister was thinking of establishing more mega stations when he has not been able to satisfy NNPC affiliate stations with enough products.
