Governor Okorocha (extreme right) at the Government House during the meeting with petroleum marketers |
Following the recent scarcity
of petroleum products and the hardship which the situation has caused the
people of Imo state, the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha on Tuesday January
12, 2016 had a crucial meeting with the members of the state branch of
Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria.
The essence of the meeting
which took place at the Government House, Owerri was to find ways of dealing
with the situation at the moment so that the marketers who have the products
could begin to sell at the approved prices to the people of the state and to
deal with the worrying issue of scarcity.
The governor who was
visibly worried told the marketers that his government would not afford to
watch the marketers create artificial scarcity of the products or sell above
the government’s approved pump prices.
He advised them to be
humane and considerate and assured them that he would intervene to ensure that the
filling stations sealed by DPR are opened without further delay so as to do
away with the effects of the scarcity of the petroleum products in the state at
the moment.
Also at the meeting, the
governor made some contacts that would see petroleum products being supplied to
the Imo marketers without delay so that the products can be available for Imo
people to buy at the approved prices. He also cautioned the marketers
against sharp practices once the products begin to arrive.
The governor equally
told the leadership of the Marketers Association and government officials
handling petroleum related matters in the state to monitor petroleum products
loaded to be sold in the state to ensure that such products would not be
diverted. He also assured that similar meetings would continue to
take place so as to nip in the bud any situation that would cause scarcity and
price hike of petroleum products in the state in future.
He regretted the inconveniences
the current situation must have caused the people of the state and appealed to
them to remain calm. According to him, the efforts which the state government
has made will ensure that the issue of scarcity of petroleum products in the state
would be a thing of the past.
Speaking earlier on
behalf of other marketers during the meeting, the Chairman of the Independent
Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), Mr. Christopher Amadi explained
that the marketers in the state do not get their allocations from direct
sources but always buy from the ‘third parties’. He also told the
governor about some of the filling stations sealed by the Department of
Petroleum Resources (DPR).
Also present at the
meeting is the Chief Of Staff, Government House, Chief Uche Nwosu and a host of
others.
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