 We're back with conversations right here on Plus TV Africa. My guest is already standing by, but let's quickly inform you that long queues for premium motor-spirit, popularly called petrol, have resurfaced in filling stations across Lagos State today, yesterday, Monday rather. This is coming two weeks after long queues were first spotted in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and neighboring Nassarua States and Niger States, it was earlier reported that the President Muhammad Buhari had approved the increase of the freight rate being paid to transporters of petroleum products in a bid to clear the persistent fuel queues by motorists in parts of the country. This is an increase of the freight costs. All marketers are repeatedly complained about the lingering fuel queues in Abuja, the center of the nation, the capital of Nigeria, and also neighboring States as Niger State and Nassarua State, among others. This says due to the inability of the petroleum product transporters to purchase the diesel required to run their trucks. This is a quite bizarre situation. Now to help us analyze this, let's welcome Chief Chinadu Ukadike, who is a national public relations officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria. Thank you very much for your time, Chief Ukadike. Thank you very much. Good morning from Nigeria. What exactly is going on? Well, like we pointed out, there are a few good countries in Abuja, you know, predominantly last two weeks, and it went down in the two weeks last week, and it's also a sufficient reason. Now the issue of Legos is worrisome, because, yeah, it's very, very worrisome because Legos is where we normally pick our products because it's not allowed in the coastal area. I also want to let you know that Nigeria is helping the environment on the portion of the petroleum product, and the ones that the petroleum product is making for the LMPC, which is the sole importer of the petroleum product, normally use coastal area to be able to discharge this product. And those coastal areas like Legos, Calaba, Potacos, or especially Algeria. So you will find out that the LMPC, 21 depots that are good across the country, that are supposed to be supplying petroleum products around the news and planning of this country, has not been working for the past one year, because of issue of pipeline fertilization and insufficient fuel and loss of products. So the LMPC have revised the nature of using the video product depots on us, who substituted their tank farms in coastal areas to be able to collect petroleum products. So it is very important that marketers will move from a dry area to a wet area, which is the videos, the videos that are located around along the coastal area. So it is a very, very important. And the cost of diesel, secondly the cost of diesel. Diesel is based on the rate of 700 to 716 Naira to 800 Naira in the private depots. It is only an industry that is the sole distributor of diesel now in Nigeria and so it is important. So marketers are not an opportunity to be able to collect this petroleum product called diesel for PPMC and athlete, which is most of it, most of which we have in Nigeria. So diesel, the cost of diesel is close to 500 Naira to 40 Naira now. And it is very, very difficult for marketers to travel from a dry area to a wet area. In the high cost of diesel, it was to move, particularly with one tank from Kandu to Lagos, will cost you close to 400,000 Naira to this gas. And if you choose this cost, you will find out that a man that is selling preserving products, a marketer that sells petroleum products in Kandu, who also sells his petroleum products at the cost of 180 to 190 Naira. Because nobody buys this petroleum product at 185, 158 and 159 Naira. So if you ask the cost of transport, which is almost 30 to 30 Naira, it is giving you a lot of water at something Naira. So I don't know how I feel expected to sell petroleum products at 185, 159 Naira. So these are the logistic problem and the technical problem that has been disturbing the future of the petroleum products in the downstream sector. We, the independent marketers, we are here to do our business. We are committed in serving the people. Once there is petroleum products, I want to say depending on what you said. We are also profit arresting. Not much government is regulating our interests. But we are very aware that what the community, we are telling how the reflective system in the economy. So that is why we try as much as possible, even in this kind of conditions, to consider the fact that we know when they are available. All right. President Muhammadan Buhari had earlier approved the increase in the freight cost in a bid to help us reach a situation of the petroleum transporters, those who have to move the products, like you said, from the coastal areas to the retail outlets, you want to call it that. So what do you think this will do? Is this a positive step? And do you expect that this will have an impact on the situation in a matter of days, weeks, or months? Just talking about the increase in the freight rate being paid to transporters of these petroleum products, which is recently approved by President Muhammadan Buhari. The issue of the marketer's progress from Kanu will not be there in England, because the pipeline which the government has applied already can help to take care of this seriously. So I also believe that what this person would have done is to declare a set of emergency in our refineries. And ensure that those refineries work, the pipeline works. This will put out a lot of clashes on the road. It will also put out all this logistic problem where President Muhammadan Buhari has also reduced the issue of increase of the flight rate, because if the refineries are working, I wonder how we will buy the petroleum quail at the cost of 800 ERA, 800 ERA, 15 ERA. So that is not the problem, because you keep on going crazy. When this, the user is crazy, and as far as the crude oil is crazy, the price of the market. As far as we are concerned, the dollar is high. All these are factors that dictate the cost of the crude oil, the net cost of the crude oil in Nigeria. And as the net cost of the crude oil costs is very high, the tobacco tax is also become high, the taxes become high. And the marketers who are bringing in this product are like to say, but also increase their prices. Our marketers like me, they don't apply to us like us. We don't have the option after many business to buy at their place. If product is 115 ERA, we will not expect an independent marketer to sell 160. For example, yes, he has done well, although his approval has also been implemented, where the marketers have not sold the approval. And it has also been fabricated, who have heard at the place meeting that yes, he has not sold it. But we want action. Action is how do we stop this, or into such increment. How do we stop this issue of these efforts? It's to integrate mutual refinery. It's to integrate our mutual refinery. And they are able to put them in strength to produce our crude oil here in Nigeria. Is it for export, not only for nuclear construction? So I want to opium that the president has done to release a market asset. This is our thank you. But we want also a reaction that yes, we must stop this exact article. The earlier the better, where the president will ensure that the four refineries we have in Nigeria are working, our crude oil which will add cost to other countries to refine for us and play back to us as the finished product as their cost. Why all our dollars is tested between products that we are also manufacturing, the crude oil we are producing our imaginary crude oil. We must allow our refineries to go. Those who go in refineries are taking the refineries. Those who go in refineries are responsible for the simple things. This is part of our economic package. We must ensure that the refineries food to go, the partners are working. Because if you look at the way the pipeline is being designed, you will find out from this step to it, what is the project and if it is there, there are pipelines that from here even after the pump station in Yola, it means that you are supposed to be to travel from Yola, so that you can travel to Yola. Because if the partner is there, you are supposed to return from Kotako refineries to Abadiko, from Abadiko, from Kotako to Yola. Okay. From Kotako to Abadiko, to Yola. Okay. Chief, who can be there? From Yola to Matode, from Matode to Yola. Chief, are you there? Okay. We seem to be having a bit of an interruption. I think the network has played a fast one on Chifuka Dikichiri. We will try and see if we can get him back. We know that the independent petroleum marketers had a press conference at Ipman House in Ejibu Lagos yesterday, where they explained what they call their predicament with the current price of PMS at the private depot. I was hoping to ask Chief to try and link, because he's talking about the price of diesel for the benefit of the public, try and link both that view or that point he made. And then the price of PMS at the private depot is that what has been affected by the high cost of diesel, which is affecting the trucks or the trucks are the ones that have to now lift the product for the private depots to the retailing outlets. So what's the relationship? Chief, do we have you back? All right. Anyway, so what the independent petroleum marketers said in that press conference is that they're explaining why with the current price of PMS that there's no way they can sell less than 118 naira per litre is what they said. So they're advising their members to sell at a sustainable price within what they're called, because I have a statement from the Ipman Secretary. It says Ipman Secretary, Ipman LSD, rather Secretary Ipman LSD, Akim Balubu is saying that members are advised to sell at a sustainable price within their environment just to make sure that they should make sure the price is on their pump. That's what they're saying. So it's kind of like a confusing situation, a difficult situation at that. If it's 118 naira, that's the problem. I don't know, maybe Nigerians would be willing to have, to pay that just so they can continue life as normal. Chief Okadike, I was going to ask you, so you've talked about the high cost of diesel. I was going to ask you to also address the issue of the cost of PMS, the price of PMS at the private depots. You've talked about the depots and of course the fact that you're lifting the products from the coastal areas as well. Can you do a relationship between the cost of diesel and the cost of the PMS at the local depots? How it's affecting what we're seeing right now? All right, the connection is pretty poor. We're sorry about the dual connection. We will have to bring the conversation to an end at this point, but we'll have another time to talk about this because it's an unfolding story. Of course, our guest who is the National Public Relations Officer of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has said that the directive by the president for the freight rate to transport has to be increased. Nobody implemented that. He says it's a mercury approach. Though he feels it would have some impact, but he also would like to see long-standing and wide-ranging reforms for instance, Nigeria refining its own crew to have diesel and PMS as petrol refined and produced in the country says that's a more long-term approach. But anyway, let's hope that the president's directive which came some days ago will be swiftly and quickly implemented. I don't know what they're waiting for because Nigeria does not have the time to wait any longer. We'll be back with more conversations looking at the current situation of INEC and what they have to do after that interim court order issued yesterday. Stay with us.