The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has expressed strong disapproval towards the recent endeavours of various State governments to assume the role of regulators in the Southeast’s downstream petroleum operations.
Mr. Chinedu Anyaso, the Chairman of IPMAN’s Enugu Depot, which oversees Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu States, conveyed these concerns during an interview in Awka on Sunday.
Anyaso underscored that State governments lack the necessary standardized and approved equipment essential for accurately measuring dispensing machines.
Moreover, he asserted that these governments do not possess the authority to oversee the intricate operations within the downstream petroleum sector.
IPMAN has vehemently criticized the actions of state governments, which have involved entering marketers’ establishments under the pretense of price enforcement and dispensing machine monitoring.
Anyaso highlighted that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) remains the sole constitutionally-empowered entity responsible for regulating downstream sector activities. He emphasized that if states intend to collaborate in this sphere, they should work in conjunction with NMDPRA.
In his explanation, Anyaso reinforced that state governments lack the requisite authority to perform regulatory functions concerning downstream operators. Their lack of expertise is evident, and even the instruments they employ—termed “seraphim bottles”—have not been certified as properly calibrated for accurate measurements.
“NMDPRA is the only body empowered by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), Sec 48 (1), to carry out all the regulatory activities in the sector.
“IPMAN Enugu depot condemns the invasion of our filling stations; Anambra government did it and we protested but most recently, the Enugu State government is doing the same thing with deliberate effort to blackmail some of our members.
“This is sheer overzealousness on the part of some aides of governors. We call on our governors to call these people to order, to avoid putting IPMAN on a collision course with state governments,” he warned.
Anyaso said IPMAN was not absolving its members of sharp practices but insisted that state governments should collaborate with NMDPRA, established by the Federal Government to supervise the sector if the need arises.
“IPMAN is not by any means saying that all our members are free from malpractice. We are not holding brief for them either; all we are saying is that things should be done properly by the appropriate authority.
“NMDPRA has offices in almost all the states, so state governments should work with them. On our part, IPMAN has a taskforce as an internal mechanism to check infractions by our members,” he said.
