By Gloria James
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has set up a special task force to fight adulteration of products in the South-East.
The Enugu Depot chapter of the association, in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, disclosed this in a communique issued at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and made available to newsmen in Awka on Friday.
The communique, jointly signed by Mr Chinedu Anyaso and Emeka Iloafor, Chairman and Secretary of the depot, respectively, stated that another committee was set up to recover debts owed members by State Governments for products supplied.
It added that it reviewed the recent petrol subsidy removal and its implication on households and decided to take deliberate actions to ensure customers’ value for money.
It said the special task force, set up in states within its jurisdiction, would work with security agencies to carry out routine surveillance in the area soon.
“We have equally resolved to take the issue of product adulteration and underdispensing very seriously.
“We have set up a task force to make sure that anybody caught in the act is brought to book.
“The debt owed our members as a result of the diesel they supplied to State Governments must be recovered.
“The executives have been mandated to set up a committee that will tackle the issue as soon as possible.
“We will always strive to protect the interest of our members and public for the good of our country,” the association stated.
It regretted that trading capitals of many of its members were trapped in Petroleum Equalisation Fund which, according to the group, had not been paid for years.
It, therefore, called on the Federal Government to confirm and honour members’ claims, running into billions of naira, to enable marketers to stay in business.
The AGM reaffirmed that the dividend of bulk shares it purchased on behalf of members in NIPCO in 2001 would be paid in bulk for onward payment to individual holders through the depot leadership.
“All our members, whose funds are trapped with PEF, should, as a matter of urgency, visit our office for proper verification and follow up on the payment.
“We have resolved and withdrawn the pending Court case with Weight and Measure and the case resolved.
“Our members’ shares with NIPCO, which cumulatively came to N10 million since 2001, would be equally shared among our 419 members that subscribed to the bulk share then,” it added.