Petrol scarcity: Independent marketers blame extortion at depots for rising cost of PMS

BY SAKA BOLAJI

Independent Petroleum Marketers in Niger State have expressed concern over the sharp practices going on at the various private depots in the country.

The concerned marketers have therefore called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene by investigating the act especially the tanker drivers.

A marketer in Niger state and Director of First El-Shaba Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Abdullahi Dan- Minna during an interview in Minna, noted that the disparity in prices of PMS between the independent marketers and major marketers who bought from the NNPC was due to the illegal taxes.

READ ALSO: Threat on Yoruba, Bini: Biafra Govt writes Canada in…

Dan- Minna revealed that as they buy at N900 and above per litre from private depots, while the major marketers buy at about N800 per litre from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.

He lamented that they even bought at a price higher than the amount sold by the major marketers in the country.

According to him they have notified the leadership of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria IPMAN Minna Unit, Zonal and the Chairman Alhaji Abubakar Dakingari but to no avail, alleging conspiracy with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) in the matter, hence causing more hardship on the citizens.

The marketer accused the PTD who are their employees for collecting between N1 and N2 from each litre even before loading at the depots in Lagos and Warri respectively.

“These people are stationed at the first gate while going to load just as they usually do during scarcity of product, adding that 45,000 litres tank cost N45,000 depends on the size of the vehicle tank”, he alleged.

Similarly, IPMAN representative in Lagos depots Alhaji Babangida in an interview on phone confirmed the development and lamented the challenge of PTD taxes without receipt for such payments going on unabated.

He however called for urgent government intervention to nip in the bud such menace as we curtailed the sharp practices.

When contacted on telephone for response, the National Deputy President of Petroleum Tanker Drivers PTD, Abubakar Malu claimed he was not aware of the said collection at depots, but assured that the complaint would be investigated and those behind the development.