The chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Enugu depot unit, Mr Chinedu Anyaso says its members have accepted to pay only a twenty per cent addition from its normal levy to Anambra State government.
Anyaso while speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting with its members, held at Orpet filling station, along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Awka, on Wednesday, said due to his persuasion to his members, they have decided to make the sacrifice to pay despite the economic difficulties confronting them.
“The main reason for this meeting is to discuss with our members on the Internal Generating Revenue (IGR) which we pay to the Anambra State government. We normally pay a hundred thousand naira (100,000) as IGR consolidated levy for all the stations but the government is saying that we will add more to the hundred thousand naira.
“We have to discuss with our members to get their feelings and respond so that we can negotiate with the state government on what petroleum stations should pay.
“Government have not told us what we should pay, they also said we should anticipate raise. The current economic situation in Nigeria is equally affecting our members.
“I pleaded with our members for us to add little money from the hundred thousand we are paying. They only agreed with the condition that it should not be more than a twenty per cent increase.
“I will report back to the government. it’s all about discussions and agreement. We have been discussing this for two months. Two days ago, we held a meeting with the Anambra state secretary to the state government and also the commissioner for Petroleum and we discussed extensively and I told them that I have to meet with our marketers.”
Reacting to the compliance of IPMAN members against extortion, Anyaso said “We took the position of law, under the petroleum industrial act 2021, section 48:1 which stated that it is only the Nigeria mainstream and downstream petroleum regulatory authority that has the right to monitor, supervise our activities in the downstream sector.
“If there is any other person that has issues, he has to go through the authority. We have resolved that we are not going to entertain any task force in our stations.
“For us to get it right in the South East, our depot must be functional but the state governments are not putting much interest as to that regard, instead they are trying to task us more and more”. He lamented
“Our prices will reduce drastically if we have our own depot. It will generate employment and also improve our economy. We go to Lagos, Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt and when you add the cost implications of that, it cannot be the same price.
“They said we are to buy products at 165/167 naira from depots and sale at 184 naira, but most of the depots as if today are selling at 169/170 and when we add loading expenses and cost of transportation, it’s not possible for us to sale below 190 naira.
“Our contemporaries in the north are being paid better than us here at the South East. These amongst others are what our members are asking us to inter-face with so that our claims will be settled so that we can go back to business because a lot of us are owing banks and most of us borrow from financial institutions and many of our members are dying of high blood pressure.
“I’m appealing to Nigeria mainstream and downstream to help us so that we can bring down products and sale to the public. We are committed to serving our people better.
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo has appealed to us that there are no funds and that it is only through a tax that the state can be maintained.
We are committed to a better Anambra State. We will support him in every measure we can to see that Anambra becomes better,” Anyaso concluded.
IPMAN Enugu depot comprises Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi States.
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