Fuel crisis looms in S’West over marketers, PPMC disagreement

From GBENGA ADESUYI, Ibadan

A group of concerned petroleum products marketers are poised for showdown with Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) over the recent introduction of N125, 000 by PPMC for renewal of their bulk purchase agreement. The group has, therefore, decided to serve PPMC with a notice of its intention to take legal action against the company as required by the law setting up the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) if it fails to rescind the decision.

The spokesman of the group, Mr. Olalekan Lawal, while speaking with Saturday Sun yesterday, shed light on the controversy between the marketers and the PPMC, saying there is a bulk purchase agreement between independent marketers and PPMC and the agreement is subject to renewal on annual basis, depending on the day each company was licensed.

According to him, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) is the collection of indigenous petroleum marketers operating in Nigeria and licensed by PPMC. On July 11, 2012, PPMC wrote a letter signed by one Engr. Maikano A.M, to the IPMAN, informing its members of this development, a decision the latter considered absurd.

PPMC has insisted, by its letter signed by one Farouk that the renewal fees of N125,000 for over 7,000 marketers was just to cover the cost of processing and other incidental expenses of the BPA, therefore PPMC cannot revise it downward. Mr. Lawal said PPMC equally added that any marketer who fails to pay the fee would be stopped from lifting petroleum products from NNPC depots. He said appeal by IPMAN to to PPMC did not yield posetive result.

He said the western zone of IPMAN through a letter by its zonal chairman, Olumide Ogunmade, had earlier informed PPMC of its members’ inability to reach a consensus on the matter and the present difficulties being faced by members. The issue, he added, has created a division in the union nationwide. While every one agrees that it the action is unjust, some members have resorted to comply because they have no option.