Members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria on Wednesday disrupted loading of petroleum products at private depots in Apapa as well as Ibadan, Ejigbo and Mosimi depots belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Our correspondent learnt that the marketers picketed the facilities to protest their inability to get products due to a new payment method introduced by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NNPC.
The Chairman, IPMAN, Ore Depot, Mr Shina Amoo, confirmed the development in an interview with our correspondent in Ibadan on Wednesday.
MAN members blocked the depots this morning with their trucks to protest the new payment method.”
According to Amoo, the picketing will continue until the PPMC reverts to the previous payment method.
He said, “The new payment requires various prerequisite documents like renewal of bulk purchase, renewal of licence and several other documents that are not readily available.
“Within few days of this new payment method, some northern big marketers have used the situation to shortchange independent marketers in the South-West. With this, fuel scarcity is imminent.
The NNPC, which has been the sole importer of petrol into the country in recent years, is still being relied upon by marketers for the supply of the product despite the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector.
Private oil marketing companies have continued to lament that their inability to access foreign exchange at the official rates has hampered efforts to resume petrol importation.
-THE PUNCH (NG)