Oil Marketers, Depot Owners Clash Over 16.6bn Litre Alleged Fuel Diversion

Oil marketers and depot home owners maintain clashed over allegations of diversion of 16.6 billion litres of gasoline to neighbouring countries.

It became learned that the unabated gasoline scarcity became partly as a consequence of the alleged diversion of merchandise to neighbouring countries by marketers.

A high legit of the Depots and Petroleum Products Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (DPPMAN) in a chat with The Punch alleged that about 46 million litres of petrol are being diverted day-to-day.

He added that about 16.6 billion litres are allegedly being diverted yearly, adding that Nigeria consumes 60 million litres of petrol day-to-day.

“We had a gathering with the PPMC some weeks ago, and share of the complaints became that the amount we load is simply too excessive, forcing them to diminish the amount they offer to us. From their records, they mentioned marketers loaded 106 million litres per day as of April.

“Nigeria consumes 60 million litres per day, the place are the last litres of gasoline going? They’re taken initiate air the country. That’s a product Nigeria is paying heavily to subsidise, and marketers are busy taking it out and denying Nigerians elephantine advantages of what they pay for,” he mentioned.

Reacting, the Executive Secretary of the Main Oil Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Clement Isong, mentioned its contributors characteristic a fully built-in industry mannequin, adding that it may per chance well probably be now not doable to smuggle merchandise foreign.

He mentioned: “They know who they are accusing, and it’s positively now not our contributors. We buy merchandise from the NNPC to our depots, after which distribute them to our stations. So, they’ll’t be accusing foremost oil marketers of diversion due to we stride a fully built-in industry mannequin.”

Moreover reacting, the National Operations Controller of the Self sustaining Petroleum Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, denied the allegation.

Osatuyi denied the claim that IPMAN contributors were responsible for the smuggling of petroleum merchandise to neighbouring countries.

“They need to dawdle and quiz the Customs, police, NIA and others whether or now not they sight our contributors’ trucks carrying such merchandise all around the borders. Why are they accusing marketers of smuggling after we now maintain of us that are being paid to police our borders?” he mentioned.