Emerging report reaching Page 36 on Friday, indicates that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Enugu Depot, has warned that petrol may cost more in the South-East region of the country.
It stated that this is because, the President Muhammadu Buhari Federal Government failed to reactivate the Emene Depot.
The Chairman of the Enugu Depot of the Association, Chinedu Anyaso, disclosed this in an interview with Newsmen in Awka, the Anambra State capital, today.
Anyaso said that petrol might be sold for N170 in the South-East, because of the cost of delivering the products at the Filling Stations in the zone.
He noted that the Depot has been lying moribund, since 2005.
He was reacting to the latest increase in the pump price of petrol, and the challenges faced by Marketers in the zone.
He stated that the Depot is strategic to the national economy, adding that, it was serving Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, parts of Imo, Abia, Cross River, and the North-Central, including Benue State, when it was functioning.
The IPMAN Chief described the cost of transporting petrol products from Lagos, Warri, Benin, Calabar, and other locations, as huge.
According to him, Marketers do not get their equalisation funds when due.
He said that Marketers in the zone are incurring huge losses, due to incessant road crashes and spill involving their trucks, as a result of the poor state of the roads.
His words: “We want to use this opportunity to renew our appeal to the Federal Government, to repair the Emene Depot, in Enugu, so that our members can start loading products from here.
“This Depot has been shut down for over 15 years, due to what they called pipeline vandalism.
“Our members are suffering, and the people of the South-East and other areas that source products from the Depot, are suffering.
“For instance, the ex-Depot price has been increased to N151.56, we will have to pay additional N14 for transportation and other expenses per litre, depending on where we loaded before it is discharged in our Stations.
“That will not be the case, if the product is pumped to the Depot in Enugu, and lifted from there, it will be much cheaper for us, and enable us to sell between N160 and N162 per litre.
“We are ready to work with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, on the security of pipelines. And fixing the Enugu Depot, will also help a better-deregulated sector, which the Federal Government is pursuing.”
(NAN)
