The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Akwa Ibom State has suspended its strike in the state.
The association had embarked on the strike because of the dispute with the Joint Task Force in the state.
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In a statement dated 8 August, and signed by its chairperson, Francis Udoyen, and secretary, Ekom Idemudo, IPMAN said it called off the strike because of the intervention of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno.
“Following the intervention of Mr Eno through the chairperson of the Akwa Ibom Petroleum Products Monitoring Committee (PPMC) over the recent withdrawal from service by IPMAN in Akwa Ibom State on the pending issue surrounding the confiscation of trucks load with petrol at Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area by operative of the JTF, Mr Udoyen has announced the suspension of our earlier action (strike) to give room for government intervention as promised.
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“The suspension of the action is sequel to a meeting with the state government team led by the chairperson of PPMC, Godwin Ekpo, and after further consultations with IPMAN members,” the group said in the statement and directed members to open their filling stations and sell products for the public.
The service withdrawal, which was the second in less than a year, had caused panic buying in the state, triggering large crowds in filling stations, after members of the group shut down stations.
Commercial drivers told this newspaper that the action led to the resurgence of black-marketers, who, this newspaper gathered, sold the product at N1,300 as against less than N1000 that marketers dispensed the product before the strike.
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In its reaction, the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the PPMC, had said the strike did not follow due process and called on members of the public to avoid panic buying as the government was taking steps to address the situation.
“PPMC remains fully committed to safeguarding the interests and welfare of the people of the state. We therefore urged members of the public to remain calm, avoid panic buying, and continue their daily activities without fear,” Mr Ekpo had said in a statement.
Not the first time
This is not the first time that IPMAN has directed its members to withdraw service due to alleged issues with the JTF.
Last September, the state recorded a hike in the petrol price to N2,500 over a similar dispute, prompting the intervention of Governor Eno after the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state asked workers to withdraw service over the hike.
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Mr Eno had, among other measures, set up a committee, PPMC, to address the issues and also explore a means to establish a petroleum depot in the state.
Petroleum products, particularly petrol, are the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. Any changes in the price of petrol virtually affect the prices of other goods and services in the market, including transportation and other services.
Many in rural and urban areas of the state, with a shortage of power supply, rely on petrol to power their generators, which is the reason for panic buying whenever petroleum unions announce service withdrawals in the state.
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