 The Lagos' sonal chairman of Newpeng has blamed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for the persistent failed shortage in the country. Aboyaji claimed that NNPC has been unable to provide enough fuel for the country. He, however, appealed to the federal government to fix the nation's refineries. As you know, why you have to see this price fight? You see, from government, government said they have not increased the price of product. So why are we having the hacking price? And that is the reason why NNPC issued a statement that is in part back to the price. The scarcity we are experiencing now is as a result of the appellation of the products. Because our branch, the long-term driver, we are working 24 hours to make sure that we pick on the appellable products. As of this moment, there are three departments that have this product. And our members are there to give them. So as members, I mean, at first, the Nigerian economy, the products we found out today, we know that they are now available, especially the clients. Governments that assure us are really, probably by nested, the products will be available. But in another argument, the federal government to fix our refineries, they are a bit of exporting the coup. And they are sending back to us this condemnation. It's not too good at all. When we are for refineries, that can be fixed, and we can refine locally. We think we are going to fix this in refineries. We are shouting all this while, fix the refineries. We don't think this is right. None of our refineries are wrong. And to continue the conversation, we're now being joined by Douglas E. Eke, is the Chairman of the Adostate Depot of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Ipman. Mr. Eke, are you with me there? Good evening to you. Now earlier, Nupeng had issued a statement blaming Ipman for the hike in price of fuel, saying Ipman is responsible for that increase. What's your take on this? Thank you very much for having me. My own take on Ipman, it is apparently clear that Ipman has not been blamed for the hike of petroleum products in the country, because the increment of petroleum product is due to the amount being bought from the S-depot. And for Nupeng to be saying that Ipman is to be blamed, it's an aberration. But we, if the product in the S-depot is, if the price is affordable, we'll buy the way it's supposed to be. Normally, marketers go to S-depot to buy products. And at the end of the day, they get the product that's supposed to buy at $155, it's not being bought for like $165. You don't expect them to get that product to their station and sell at the same price. So Nupeng should channel their blame to the S-depot price. So it's not Ipman, because Ipman as an association or we as marketers, as is for us to buy and sell. At the end of the day, if you find out that these people go, marketers go to S-depot to buy products, when they get the Nupeng itself, they give out a enormous sum of levy for Ipman to pay, marketers to pay at the end of the day, when they pay this amount, getting to their stations in place of destination to sell product becomes a problem. In every truck, the profit they get from me is now up to $300,000. If for example, Nupeng itself as a union is asking marketers to pay at the loading point, $50,000 per truck. PtD, Petronokaka and Rebus also come and say they should pay $50,000 per truck. These are the same union. The Zonan chairman or whoever is the Zonan person in that same area, who also has to pay some of $20,000. At the end of the day, you see, marketers are paying some of it by $120,000 for levy and levy to Nupeng, which is very, very unacceptable. And Ipman marketers as an association, we cannot continue in this way. So that is why you find out that if Nupeng is saying that Ipman is the one causing the hike of Petronokaka is strong. And for you to know, Nupeng is not the government agency regulatory body that is to check the price hike of any Petronokaka selling in any Petro station. It is the duty of the government agency regulatory body to check any market that's selling at both parties. It's not a duty of Nupeng. Nupeng should channel their issues to the S-depot where this problem involves. And besides, Nupeng has many issues which they have to conduct themselves, as well as their members, who in this country is causing us a lot of issues in the oil industry. Without Nupeng, some of these kudare thefts cannot be channeled from one place to another. Look at things, for example, in my area where the depot is in the depot here in NNPC area. Some group of persons, members of Nupeng, they were trained by NNCDC in a place where they were returning in local village. So these are some of the issues, challenges we are having as marketers. It is our time, the federal government starts going into the activities of Nupeng to checkmate them. I want to believe that these issues have been on ground even before now that the country is going through this field's scarcity. These issues have been on ground and we've been getting fuel at the exact approved pump price of 165 Naira. What has changed? Yeah, well, you can see from the little time that some products that were not to standard brought into this country had been doubted because it has created a lot of fear into the mind of the people. So that is why you see some of these stations were this bad way that was not up to standard, were asked not to sell. So right now I'm assuring the users of this country that in no time, in the future, that this thing will be passed. So right now, because this increment came up because the vacuum that was there during this time, the total that was brought into this country that was standard. Are you saying to us that the landing price of refined fuel from the NNPC is cut through throat? Or where are you getting the fuel? Where is Ipman getting the fuel from? So the point of, you know, raising the price. Ipman has market as we can buy fuel from anyway. We can buy if this product is refined, we can buy from the product from the refined to the ex-depot. We can also buy from private depots. So our ask is for us to buy and sell. For example, get to a private depot, maybe within this locality there, within the region of the between worry and, you know, I do state that, for example, and you get the fuel for the rate of 165, where you used to buy it for 155. Because you want to sell your own business, all you need to do is wait to buy. So as is for us to buy and sell, we are not the one who is increasing price. As is for us to get this product to the masses, because we as an association is having about 25,000 marketers. If we once cut off from the system, there will be chaos in this country. So our is to make sure that the cities of this country have the opportunity to have better productivity in any given time that we need. So that is our position. While you are still trying to bridge the gap between the citizens and feel, so to speak, it means that the citizens are still at the mercy of Ipman. And I believe PPMC is listening to you right now. That's the regulatory body for pricing, right? So the citizens are still at the mercy of Ipman if nothing is done in days. No, no, this is not really at the mercy of Ipman. The citizen as we speak right now is that we as marketers, our own is to make sure that we sell products. This product has been brought into this country by any benefit of this whole importer of corporate infrastructure. So Ipman as marketers, we are doing our possible best to make sure that we sell the beauty of products. If each and every one of us as marketers is saying, I believe I said, no, there's no need for us to put into this this kind of product, because the product has been increased in the S-depth. There is no way we can do anything. We can also sell products and there's no way the masses can have availability of personal product. So for we right now as it is, we are also appealing to the masses that for whatever the price is right now, it's not going to remain this way. It's going to come back to the same price which is at $165. As far as we know, we may not have the federal government making any plans and increasing any particular product for now. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Iike. Thank you for your time with us on News Now. Hello. Hope you enjoyed the news. 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