We’re Ready to Import 15 Cargoes of Petrol, Says IPMAN

• As transport union backs FG’s removal of fuel subsidy

Chineme Okafor in Abuja

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Monday said it had entered into a mutually beneficial business arrangement with several foreign partners to import about 15 cargoes of petrol into Nigeria within the next couple of weeks.

IPMAN said the arrangement would enable it access petroleum products from the partners, adding that it has secured their backing to keep filling stations operated by its members supplied with petrol going forward.

It however said the current opposition to the federal government’s removal of subsidy on consumption of petrol by members of Nigeria’s labour unions was slowing it down from realising this plan.

“We have foreign partners who we will use to bring in products and we have an arrangement to bring in between 10 and 15 cargoes in the coming weeks,” said the General Secretary of IPMAN, Alhaji Danladi Pasali, in a telephone conversation with THISDAY in Abuja.

Pasali was responding to a question on how the association hopes to source for forex to fund its importation given that the government has permitted them to independently source for forex to import petrol.

“We are waiting for our papers. We have not got the papers released yet and we are waiting for that before we can go out because it is now an open market.
“It is because of this distraction of labour, otherwise we would have started within the week. Labour however has to understand that this is the best way to go. If they don’t want this, what then is their solution so we can continue to bring in products? We don’t have to deceive ourselves on this,” he added.

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