John Adams, Minna
The Chairman of Minna depot of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Niger State, Alhaji Adamu Ahmed Erena, has decried the bad state of roads and the high level of insecurity in some parts of the state, which he said posed a threat to the supply of petroleum products to the state.
The IPMAN Chairman, who spoke Thursday in Minna on the heels of attacks on its members by armed bandits along the notorious Tegina-Brinin-Gwari-Kaduna highway, said this year alone, over 20 trucks with different petroleum products have been intercepted and the products valued at N800 million diverted to unknown destinations by the bandits.
He explained that their members lose about N40 million on a daily basis through incidents due to the bad state of the roads, adding that until something is done urgently to address the security situation and the bad state of roads, the smooth delivery of petroleum products to the state might hindered.
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Erena pointed out that the difficulties which tanker drivers experience on a daily basis to ensure the availability of the products in the state are enormous, adding that, “the sacrifice is more than the gains and this cannot continue.
If we want uninterrupted supply of petroleum products to the state, something must be done urgently to address insecurity and the bad roads.”
He, therefore, appealed to both federal and the state governments to quickly come to their rescue by strengthening security along Birnin Gwari, Tegina, Kagara and Mokwa roads where many of their members have come under attack from bandits.
While commending the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on the ongoing dualisation of Minna-Suleja Road project, Erena called for the release of funds to the contractor handling Lambata-Lapai-Bida roads to ease pressure on Minna-Bida Road.