By Adedapo Adesanya
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has assured Nigerians of the availability of premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, before, during, and after the 2023 general elections.
The Chairman of IPMAN in Rivers State, Mr Joseph Obele, gave the assurance but warned against panic buying of petroleum products ahead of the polls.
Mr Obele, who is also the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers State, commended the management of NNPC Retail Limited for improving the supply of products to the state.
He also disclosed that fuel queues were gradually disappearing in Rivers State, assuring that the PPMC depot in Eleme will commence operations soon.
“The new management of NNPC Retail Limited gave us an appointment in Abuja last week. At the meeting, we advised him to increase the volume of PMS supplied to Rivers State, and he accepted it immediately.
“He graciously approved our request, and a large volume of PMS was received at the private depots in Rivers state. As we speak, five depots are selling to marketers against the two depots that were selling two weeks ago.
“Arising from that, it is obvious that the queues are disappearing gradually, and the pump price is also dropping.
“I can assure the general public of sufficient during and after the elections. There is no need for panic buying going forward.
“We appreciate the Managing Director of NNPC Retail Ltd for doubling the supply of products to Rivers State. He has also assured that the PPMC depot in Alesa Eleme will commence operations soon.”
Recently, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited assured that Nigerians can expect over 2 billion litres of petrol to be supplied from mid-February to March.
The company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr Garba Deen Muhammad, in a statement on Monday, noted that the plan is part of its concerted efforts to sustain the supply of petroleum products nationwide.
Dipo Olowookere