The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has advised the Anambra government to jettison the idea of a Petroleum Committee to monitor activities in the downstream subsector in the state.
Chinedu Anyaso, chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Depot Community in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, said this in Awka on Monday.
Anyaso, who was reacting to a statement by Anthony Ifeanya, commissioner for petroleum in Anambra who said he was awaiting Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s approval to set up the committee, said it would create confusion and duplicate functions.
Ifeanya had said that the committee would monitor compliance with petroleum product quality and price by filling station outlets in Anambra.
But the IPMAN chairman said the rules and standards in the sector were set and monitored by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of the Federal Government.
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He said NMDPRA was empowered by the Petroleum Industry Act to approve, license, monitor, regulate activities in the sector and whoever had complaints should channel it to the authority.
Anyaso said marketers in the state had held meetings with the commissioner but the issue of the Petroleum Committee had never been discussed.
He said though, IPMAN and petroleum dealers in Anambra had met with the commissioner on his invitation to review the consolidated revenue payable to the government and negotiation was still in progress.
“Marketers in Anambra have drawn my attention to the news that the Anambra government through the commissioner is planning to set up a petroleum committee which will monitor the price and quality of product.
“IPMAN wants to advise that there is no need for that, section 48(1) of PIA empowers NWDPRA to solely supervise activities of marketers and they have the capacity to do their work, such committees by states will create confusion,” he said.
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Anyaso said the government should develop the industry by working with marketers on easing the challenge of procuring products by collaborating with other states to revitalise the moribund Enugu Depot which had not functioned for about 15 years. He said the problem of pricing of products was beyond state governments and that the increase could only be addressed by Federal Government and its agencies.
“For instance, how can the Anambra government enforce petrol at N165 per litre when we are buying N168 per litre at the depot, N2 for loading and about N12 for transportation, landing cost is about N183 per litre we don’t need additional confusion.”
