The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN has made it clear that the Rivers State government’s insincerity is responsible for the scarcity of PMS (petrol) as well as its high pump price with its attendant hardship on the populace.
According to Mr. Eddy Johnson, owner and Director of Eddy Johnson filing station, Oyigbo, “We are businessmen who would want to sell according to how we bought”.
Johnson who is also the chairman of Oyigbo Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Oyigbo branch, made it clear that nobody can close down his filling station or dictate to him what price to sell his product.
He disclosed further that they pay to the RSG what is called “Effluent discharge fee” of as much as N300,000 levied for five years (2008-2012) asking to no one in particular, “Will I sell my father’s land to pay the levy?”
The chairman stated that they had an understanding with the state commissioner for energy, Hon. Okey Wali but his monitoring team are the ones who make things difficult for them.
Our investigation revealed that over 90% of the filling stations in Oyigbo sell their fuel at between N120 130 per litre, far above the FG directives of N97.00 per litre, pegged after the fuel subsidy removal demonstration. ###
Tobin Alakpakabia
