It was pandemonium in Ilorin as DPR and IPMAN members clashed over insistence to hike price of petrol to the chagrin of the poor masses.
It was a free-for-all-fight in Ilorin yesterday as a result of lingering shortage of the petroleum products in the state capital prompting members of the Independent Petroleum Markers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to organise and disrupt the monitoring exercise embarked upon by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). The DPR officials had come to ensure that prices are not inflated.
Trouble started when DPR officials went round the petrol stations, closing ones selling above regulated price but IPMAN members did not want to hear that and ordered their members to ignore the DPR directives to sell beyond official prices to alleviate the suffering of the masses in Ilorin.
The action further led the men of the Department of State Security, Police men and Mobile police to barricade the two entrance leading to the DPR office at GRA Ilorin as the IPMAN insisted on following them to their office. IPMAN which was led by Alh. Okanlawon Olanrewaju the Chairman and supported by other members insisted that they will henceforth not obey the federal government regulation on the oil and gas sector prices.
In something that looked like a script from the movies, Olanrewaju and his members stormed some of the filling stations that were hoarding petrol which were sealed by the officials of the DPR in the state capital and unseal them. Speaking during the rancour in Joy by Joy filling station along Ajase-Ipo road in Ilorin, Olanrewaju flanked by some of his members said they have not been working for over 7months and promised that they will not continue like that.
He said: “We are buying petrol from private depots at N106 and reach N111 as landing cost. We do not have more than two trucks at Ilorin depot as we speak with you now. We can’t continue like that. We have gone to dialogue with Controller of the DPR in the state but refused to listen to us and we don’t know why the Ilorin case is so peculiar because other states in the country are selling at the rate they buy the product in depot. We won’t obey any price regulation if we continue to buy the product at the private depot."
However, the Controller of the DPR, Mr.Salvation Philip, said that nobody is above the law and the IPMAN must obey the federal government or face the consequences.
“Oil marketers have to abide by it. I also want the public to know that DPR along with other federal government security agencies will not fold their arms and allow any group or individual cheat them. We will ensure that the public get the product at the right prices and right quantity,” Philip said.
He said IPMAN's actions were contrary and appropriate punishment must be served if the poor masses must be saved from suffering. He said by increasing the price of petrol above regulated government price, the poor masseswill suffer most.
“DPR as a department is not dealing with factions but individual owing petrol station. Our outing is not about confrontation but to pass message that the government is working hard to make the product available and we will not fold our hands and watch public being cheated.
“DPR is not in position to fix prices and government position on it is clear. There is government agency to make the pronouncement which DPR work with. It is so because as far as DPR know, it is government that is carrying the burden of sourcing for the products. Kwara state is my jurisdiction and I am responsible to director of petroleum resource and not to anybody in the state. I won’t take any excuses because it is above my power as I am not in position to give concession on the price,” he said.
According to reports, One of the filling stations visited is Super moon that adjusted its pump and under dispensing to motorists.
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