Fresh fuel scarcity hits Akwa Ibom, December 1st

Members of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Akwa Ibom State branch have concluded plans to withdraw services in the State from Sunday 1st December, 2024 in a protest over fifteen Thousand naira levy said to have been imposed on the members by Francis Udoyen led Executive of IPMAN in Akwa Ibom.

Our reporter gathered that the withdrawal of service by the petroleum Marketers will last indefinitely resulting in a skyrocketing fuel price and scarcity if nothing is done.

Explaining the reason for the looming crisis, a section of aggrieved members of the union who spoke with our reporter said the crisis is caused by what they described as illegal extortion of N15,000 (fifteen Thousand naira) from each truck bringing petroleum products into the State.

In their words, “We received information that some ‘cabal’ members working for the IPMAN Chairman, Francis Udoyen led by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Petroleum Matters, Sir Victor Etefia who doubles as MD of V & E and Mr. Michael Udofia, MD of Fens Oil met somewhere on Thursday 14th November and discussed building a State Secretariat for the Association. Shortly after their cabal meeting, the recruited thugs who are not known to members of the union and unleashed them with IPMAN receipts to harass and extort fifteen Thousand naira from each truck. So even if you have five trucks coming into the State ten times, you will have to pay for the five trucks into the number of times your trucks are coming into the State. They did this without the knowledge of the entire State Executive Members and the general House of the union. By this act, it simply means Sir Victor Etefia and his gang aided by the IPMAN Chairman do not want petroleum Marketers to supply petroleum products in the State, as such from Sunday 1st December, we will withdraw our services.”

The aggrieved members who insisted that their names should not be mentioned warned residents of the State to use the remaining days before Sunday 1st December to acquire as more products as they can in preparation for the planned withdrawal of service by petroleum Marketers.

All efforts to reach the IPMAN Chairman were abortive as his mobile numbers known to our reporters have been switched off up to the time of this report.

When our reporter visited his UDY KING filling Station along Abak Road to meet with him, his security personnel reported that he had the instruction of the Chairman not to grant any journalist access to him.

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