By IBUKUN EMIOLA

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has denied the alleged plan by the association to increase pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol to N700 per litre nationwide.

The Chairman of IPMAN Southwest Zone, Alhaji Dele Tajudeen, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Friday.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to disregard the speculation and not to engage in panic buying.

Tajudeen stressed that the price of the product would not be more that what is being sold presently.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for removing the subsidy on petrol adding that it was long overdue.

“Even in PIA bill, it has been clearly stated that the subsidy must be removed,

“So, I want to commend him for removing the subsidy and I want to say that we are in support totally. This is because the subsidy was a scam.”

He said the slight Increase in pump price was because of the transportation cost and that Nigerians should be at rest as the commodity will not be out of reach for the masses.

“I want to disabuse the mind of the people that they should not panic about it, there is no cause for alarm, we are in control and there is nothing like that.

“So, people should be rest assured that there is no way they can buy petrol more than the price it is being sold now.

“If we look at the price from NNPC retail limited, which is an integral part of NNPC limited, they have more advantages than independent marketers and major marketers.

“So, it was the retail price that they announced they had never given a specific price to the independent marketers.

“However, I have read what somebody put into the paper, it is just speculation it is not a reality. Nothing like that I want to assure the masses.

“There is no how the price can go to N700 as we speak, because even if the FX is N700 or N800 that has not nothing to take the price of petroleum from N500 to N700,” Tajudeen said.

He noted that the product had been deregulated, hence the differential in prices was due to transportation as it is related to location.

“If you are moving products within Lagos the price may not be more than N300,000 but if you are moving up to Ibadan or there about it could be as much as N500,000.

“And if you are going to Ilorin, it could be as high as N700,000 that would account for differential in prices.

“I want to say with all sense of authority that as of today within Lagos metropolis nobody should sell more than N515 to N520 per litre.

“Though NNPC has given us the price but the reality of it is that what we buy from the market; because NNPC limited is not the only source for our product, we get from private depots.

“So, whatever we buy is what we put our own margin and sell.

“But as of today, the highest you can get anywhere should be around N550; Lagos N510 per litre; Ogun State between N500 and N520,” Tajudeen said.

Meanwhile, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had vowed to resist the alleged planned increase in pump price of petrol.

They made their position known in a statement jointly signed by the Convener, Dr Basil Musa; and Co-Convener, Malam Haruna Maigida, in Abuja on behalf of others.

They vowed to resist by picketing IPMAN members’ filling stations across the country.

They accused the IPMAN of running a parallel government and inflicting pains on ordinary Nigerians by their unilateral adjustment of price of petroleum.

They described the planned increment as unacceptable and called on the Federal Government to stop IPMAN from its alleged profiteering at the expense of ordinary Nigerians.

The CSOs said the move was an economic sabotage, coming at a time Nigerians are still trying to come out of the “price shock”, occasioned by the increment on May 29. (NAN)

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