Alabi Saheed Abiodun
An Igbo sociopolitical group, Ndigbo United Forum (NUF), has called on the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to resolve the lingering fuel crisis which has led to hike in Fuel Price in the southeast.
NUF while expressing dismay over the hike in fuel price following a strike by Independent Petroleum Marketers over the alleged refusal of the Imo State government to compensate an oil marketer whose filling station was demolished in Orlu by the past Rochas Okorocha’s administration, vowed to mobilize Ndigbo across the five southeastern states if the marketers fail to resolve the issue.
In a statement issued by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Chinedu Mba on Saturday, the NUF called on IPMAN to revert to the old status quo of seamless availability of petroleum products, and at the initial price of N165 per litre of fuel as from Saturday, Sept.
The statement partly read: “Recall that on September 4th, NUF made a scathing comment on the decision of IPMAN to extend its Imo State chapter misunderstanding with Imo State Government to the other 4 South East States – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States.
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“In our early comment on the IPMAN’s activities in South East, we queried the rationale behind the decision to drag the other 4 states into a matter that was supposed to be an issue with just Imo State branch of IPMAN.
“As if the unpopular decision we condemned earlier was not enough; as if the untold hardships that the high-handed decision is visiting on innocent Ndigbo across South East region is not enough; we are just learning of conflicting Press Releases from two parallel Executives of IPMAN, one was directing IPMAN in Enugu NNPC Depot to continue withholding her services in Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi States while the other is a rebuttal of the first one. Confusion everywhere!
“Ndigbo can no longer tolerate the lingering crisis that has resulted in filling stations selling PMS at the tune of #250, instead of the usual #165 across the South East States. The entirety of Ndigbo must not continue to suffer on account of issues that has nothing to do with them. IPMAN issues with a particular State Government, or her internal leadership tussles, must not be weaponized against the innocent people of the South East region. The plummeting hikes in fares, the excruciating inconveniences of looking for PMS all over the place, only to finally get it at an exorbitant rate etc, must stop forthwith.
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“We are putting all relevant stakeholders in South East on notice; should IPMAN fail to heed to our demands, there would be a serious backlash from Ndigbo United Forum Worldwide. This is a promise”.
