The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has raised the alarm over the looming fuel scarcity as a result of the non-availability of the product at the Ibadan depot.

In a communiqué issued in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Chairman of Ibadan Chapter of IPMAN, Alhaji Raheem Tayo, said the association was worried that the situation had persisted in spite of the intervention of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Tayo said the federal government had made substantial re-investment through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ‘resurrect’ the Ibadan depot, which had been moribund for more than two years.

According to him, the development culminated in the inauguration of the depot by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru on October 4, 2017.
Tayo also said with the inauguration of the depot, there was a massive pumping of petroleum products, mainly petrol to the depot which directly led to increased activity.

“The loading of petroleum product was so well unhindered thus wetting all the nooks and crannies of the depot jurisdiction of operation which eventually led to cessation of fuel scarcity.
“The primary factor that made the depot go under for some years was because of pipeline vandalism.

“Pipeline vandalism seems not to have been well taken care of as its resurgence becomes more daring thereby threatening another total closure of the depot with serious consequences to the supply of petroleum to the depot,” the statement explained.

“Loading activities, which was on the high side, progressively reduced on daily basis up until July 26, 2018, when loading activities stopped completely at the NNPC Ibadan depot,” it added.
The IPMAN chairman said the agitation by the Ibadan depot stakeholders led the NNPC in Abuja to mandate its security department to meet with the stakeholders.

He said that the meeting with stakeholders and other relevant security agencies in the state, aimed at finding solutions to the continuous damaging of the pipelines, was aborted.
“Now that the vandals have grounded Ibadan depot again because NNPC cannot push products through the pipelines, the public should brace up for another round of unpleasant period of fuel scarcity,” the chairman said.

•Sourced from THISDAY report