.Writes Soludo again over N900m debt owed members in Anambra
AMADI CHIGOZIE
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has hailed the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for its remarkable efforts in championing the course of Green Energy introduced by the Federal Government following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.
Idris, who made the remarks when he received the National Executive Committee of IPMAN in his office in Abuja on Thursday for a courtesy visit, said the Federal Government aims to bring down the cost of transportation by over 50% through the CNG Initiative.
“In the wake of the removal of fuel subsidy, of course it was expected that the price of PMS will go up. This will in turn affect the transportation cost for Nigerians going to and fro their various places of work.
“The Federal Government immediately thought it wise, in addition to other measures, to introduce the CNG. The CNG is expected to bring down the cost of transportation by more than 50% and I am happy that IPMAN is in the forefront in this vanguard of achieving the CNG Initiative,” he said.
The Minister said President Tinubu’s bold move to remove the fuel subsidy has presented a unique opportunity for organizations like IPMAN to take the lead in shaping the energy landscape in Nigeria.
The Minister said Nigeria as a nation has been looking for alternative ways of bringing down the cost of transportation and the CNG is the surest way to go.
Idris said, already, the Federal Government, in the first instance, has set aside N100 billion for the purchase of CNG buses and the establishment of CNG centres across the country. This he said, was in addition to the introduction of tax waivers for the importers of CNG kits as well as other investors in the sub-sector.
“You would recall that the Federal Government in the first instance, set aside N100 billion for the purchase of CNG buses and establishment of CNG centres around the country,” he said.
While enlisting the support of IPMAN for the success of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Minister acknowledged them for considering his ministry as well as its agencies as veritable partners in their desire to counter fake news being propagated on the activities of IPMAN.
The Minister bemoaned how fake news has done so much damage to the various fabrics of the society and said there is a ray of hope through the collaboration of his ministry and UNESCO to come up with measures to curb the menace of fake news.
He pledged to give more visibility to the in-house curated programme of the Association tagged “IPMAN Today”, on the various public information agencies under his ministry.
Idris also promised to utilize the 30,000 member structure of IPMAN in the implementation of the value re-orientation programmes encapsulated in the National Value Charter.
In his remarks, the President of IPMAN, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi Shettima pledged the unalloyed support of the Association for the President’s CNG Initiative and promised to complement government in the green energy programme, which will give a boost to the realization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President.
He decried how prices of petroleum products are constantly being manipulated through the spread of fake news and sought the support of the ministry to combat the menace.
Alhaji Shettima said, on their part, IPMAN has come up with a programme tagged “IPMAN Today” – a radio and television programme, which would serve as the authentic source of news on the activities of the Association.
Writes Soludo again over N900m debt owed members in Anambra
Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has called on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra to pay N901 million owed members for the supply of Automotive Gas Oil for powering streetlights in the state.
Mr Chinedu Anyaso and Mr Emeka Iloafor, Chairman and Secretary of IPMAN Enugu Depot Community, made the call in a reminder letter to Soludo.
The letter was entitled “Re; Request For Debt Payment of N900, 664,805.00 Owed Our Members for Diesel Supplied and Services Rendered In Respect Of Street Lights”.
A copy of the letter which was made available to journalists in Awka on Thursday, said months after returning generators in their custody as directed as a condition for payment, the government was yet to honour its promise.
The marketers said the affected members could no longer remain in business as they were under heavy burden of debt to their banks and their staff, some of whom had been laid off.
According to IPMAN, “we humbly request once more for the debt payment in respect of the above subject matter.
“Your Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs wrote to us that our members that were owed these debts were withholding government generators.
“They have since returned and reported back to his office since December, 2023. We have not heard from him since then and our members are seriously and heavily indebted to banks and individuals who are threatening them on a daily basis.
“Kindly intervene to save the situation as we are ready to always cooperate with your government for its success,” he said.
It would be recalled that IPMAN had in September last year made payment of the debt owed to about 70 members who operated as contractors in the streetlight project of Anambra before the government terminated the contracts to migrate to solar-powered street lights.
Mr. Tony Ifeanya, the state Commissioner for Petroleum, said the government was handling the issue and that it would be settled soon.
According to him, we are handling it, we are talking with them. It will be sorted out soon.
