The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN has warned its members against engaging in cross-border smuggling of petroleum products in the country.
Recalls that on June 22, the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Mele Kyari convened a stakeholders’ meeting to curtail cross-border smuggling of petroleum products.
The meeting had attendance, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, chief executives of petroleum agencies, security chiefs and critical downstream players, among others.
Speaking to newsmen in Kano on Wednesday, Chairman of the IPMAN, Kano branch, Bashir Dan-Mallam lamented that the activities of the petroleum smugglers at border towns is a great sabotage to Nigeria’s economy.
According to him, Nigeria is losing huge amount of money to the activities of the smugglers, noting that the money being lost in that regard is enough to execute developmental projects for the citizens.
Mr Dan-Mallam added that the activities of the smugglers across border towns is also a snag to the government’s efforts to end insecurity in the country, calling on members not to be a party to the crime and be vigilant to expose the perpetrators.
The chairman disclosed that the new Managing Director of Petroleum Products Marketing Company, PPMC, Isyaku Abdullahi had recently held a meeting with IPMAN and its sister associations on ways to check the problem.
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He also revealed that a committee has been set up to go round some states like Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Ogun, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, among others in a bid to chart ways on how to check the menace.
“The operation has already started and it would be expanded across all the 36 States of the federation. This problem of cross-border smuggling of petroleum products is worrisome and sabotages to nation’s economy and development as a whole.
” it affects the government’s revenue and its commitments to fighting insecurity. I, therefore, warned our members others to engage in these illicit acts. I believe those perpetrators are not registered members of our association,” he said.
He also warned that anybody who is found wanting would not be spared by the law.
While commending the MD PPMC for rising against the problem, Mr. Dan-Mallam also commended the federal government for introducing initiatives for the development of the downstream sector.
