The Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Western zone, has urged Nigerians to stop the panic buying of petrol, assuring them that fuel scarcity would soon ease off.
Dele Tajudeen, IPMAN zonal chairman, Western Zone, gave the assurance on Tuesday in Ibadan, while speaking with journalists.
Mr Tajudeen said that there was no directive stopping its members from continuing with their operations, pointing out that the speculation on shutting down of filling stations was not from the association.
He was reacting to the speculations making the rounds that IPMAN had directed its members to stop operations and shut down their filling stations to protest the hike in the price of fuel.
Mr Tajudeen said that IPMAN has units and zones and that its South-West zone comprised Lagos, Sapele, Ibadan, Ore, Ilorin and Mosimi Depots, pointing out that none of them had been directed to shut down their operations.
He said that such a directive was from Maiduguri Depot, stressing that it does not affect members of IPMAN in other parts of Nigeria, particularly in the South-west region.
Mr Tajudeen said: “As far as we are concerned, as the Zonal Chairman, I have authority over other chairmen in the zone, we are not closing our stations.
“The letter you are seeing is from Maiduguri; look at the letter very well, it emanated from Maiduguri and has nothing to do with South-west.”
On the lingering fuel scarcity, Mr Tajudeen said the situation would soon improve gradually.
“We just rose from a meeting with the authority concerned and we have a very useful discussion with the authority.
“One, we have to address the issue of availability and cycle. We appeal to people to bear with us, as the scarcity will fizzle out gradually.
“By the special grace of God by next week, we will start to see changes and the queues will disappear,” he assured Nigerians.
NAN recalled that IPMAN had pleaded with the federal government to give its members time to sell off the product they sourced with huge amounts of money before complying with selling fuel at the official rate of N195 per litre.
IPMAN said that its members had been directed to buy the product from NNPC and not from the private depot owners so that they can sell at the official rate.
(NAN)
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