By Ngozi Onyeakusi — The leadership of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, has dismissed media report that it had directed its members to sell petrol below the official pump price of N145 a litre.

IPMAN in a statement by its National President, Alhaji Sanusi Fari, called on members nationwide to continue to render services to the public within official price. Reacting to the purported directive to members to sell PMS at N140 per litre, Fari noted: “Members who wish to sell at any price below N145 were free to do so because the current government policy that makes the product available encourages price competition. “The National President of IPMAN, Fari, has called on members to continue to render their services to the public in view of the one week postponement of the general election and not to sell petrol (PMS) above the Federal Government’s approved pump price of N145.
Members who wish to sell at any price below N145 are free to do so because the current government policy that makes the product available encourages price competition. “The National President has not ordered that marketers should sell at N140 and for anybody to issue such directive suggests lack of the realities on ground.”

Similarly, the Western Zone of IPMAN advised members to ignore the purported directive asking member filling stations across the country to sell PMS at N140 a litre. A statement by the zone’s acting chairman, Kunle Bamigboye, said: “For the avoidance of doubt, PPMC ex-depot price to us has not been reduced by a dime as at the time of this press release. Similarly other related costs associated to getting fuels to our various stations also remained unchanged.”