The National Secretary Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Danladi Pasali, has urged Nigerians to stop panic buying.
He said long queues in filling stations in Abuja and other states was as a result of fear of increase in pump price.
“People have created an insinuation of an unnecessary panic, about the availability of fuel and it is because of the rise in international price of crude oil.
“Nigeria solidly depends on importation and the sole importer is the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC).
“The truth is that we have enough products in the coastal states of Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar, there are a lot of vessels with the products,” he said.
The IPMAN scribe appreciated the federal government for saying it will not increase the pump price.
“And therefore, we have urged our members to go to the coastal areas and bring in the products.
“We have also gotten signals from the NNPC depots and we have mobilised our tankers to go and bring in the products.
So the general public should stop panicking, I am assuring that before Friday all the queues will disappear,” he said.
Alhaji Pasali further appreciated Dangote refinery for agreeing to sell refined products in Naira.
He said: “The initial arrangement of Dangote refinery is for export. But you can’t be exporting refined products while your country doesn’t have the products.
“The refinery been the biggest in Africa, is indeed a welcome development because it will ease tension and reduce capital flight of looking for dollar to import the products and it will also help the economy,” he added.
According to him, the federal government should also do the needful and ensure that marketers get the products at an appropriate price.
