The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria
(IPMAN) has appealed to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to sanction
all private depots in Apapa area of Lagos selling above the regulated petrol
price of N133.28k.
The Chairman, IPMAN,
Western Zone, Alhaji Debo Ahmed, made the call during a chat with News Agency
of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
Ahmed said many depot
owners at Apapa sold petrol between N140 and N145, against the Petroleum
Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) price template of N133.28kobo.
He said 90 per cent of
petrol products imported into the country were distributed through the
Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC).
“It is extremely difficult for marketers outside Lagos to buy
petrol at N145 from the depots and sell at same price to consumers,” Ahmed told
NAN.
“The marketers in Ilorin,
Ore, Ondo, Akure, Ibadan and Osogbo, are running at a loss.
“There is need for
government to review the activities of DPR official domicile at Apapa private
depots who connive with depot owners to sell products above regulated price.”
He urged the Federal
Government to wade into the matter and wield the big stick on dishonest depot
owners taking advantage of the shutdown of government- owned depots to make
life difficult for his members.
“We marketers within the
South-West – Lagos, Ibadan, Ore, Ilorin and Ekiti – find it extremely difficult
to load at Apapa depot due to bottleneck at the depot,’’ the IPMAN chairman
said.
Nigeria’s
hope of attracting foreign investments
Nigeria’s hope of attracting foreign investments have been
renewed as the European Union (EU), at the weekend, unveiled a €44 billion
Africa economic development fund aimed at helping African countries manage
their economic crisis in order to attract private investments into the
continent.
The Vice President, EU,
Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, said EU is already developing a strategic
framework for the implementation and disbursement of the fund, maintaining that
the EU is also designing security measures to ensure the fund is effectively
and efficiently disbursed.
According to him, the fund
would go a long way in reducing the number of refugees who seek greener
pastures in European countries, noting that in the last two years, Europe has
experienced the greatest mass movement of people since the Second World War.
Ansip added that the fund
will further assist both the EU and Nigeria explore opportunities in the
nation’s digital economy with a view to deepening investment in the area as
well as possible partnerships.
Ansip during a press
briefing in Lagos, explained that the fund which would be made available for
disbursements in first quarter 2018, as credit money is designed to help
developing economies cover identified risks to attract foreign direct
investments (FDIs).
“Our aim is to help
developing economies. We have decided to create the European external
investment fund which is targeted at covering main risks to attract private
investment. This kind of fund was really efficient in the European union (EU)
where we created investment for strategic investment and we believe this fund
will go a long way to help the African economy.”
He pointed out that more
than one million refugees and migrants have arrived in the EU, adding that EU
has agreed on a range of measures to deal with the crisis.
”This fund meant for supporting development in African
countries will be beneficial to the European countries as you know today that
most people in Africa prefer to leave African countries to seek for greener
pastures in European countries. We are faced with lots of refugee crisis. To
tackle this menace, we can provide some help to those countries to help build
their economies instead of seeking refuge in Europe,” he said.
He also explained that the
aim is “to support digital development in Africa and also help to build healthy
economies in developing countries. The EU is the biggest donor of digital
development aids. We believe the fragment of digital aid is little in developing
countries; this is why we are here.
“The European union wants
to support digital development in Africa. We will like to provide financing to
build strong and healthier economies in developing countries in Africa.”
He said digital
development in Nigeria and in other African countries has grown rapidly, noting
that internet penetration has grown to over 80 per cent where 100 per cent of
Nigerians now have access to Internet services.
“The development was much
more rapid when compared to Europe. I believe in digital development for the
bright future of Africa,” he said.
He said funds are
important for economic development, but stressed that ideas and how to
cooperate with other African countries is even more critical to get more
assistance of development funds.
He
said African countries must create the right environment for digital
development, create an effective regulatory environment that would have a much
bigger influence than funds in the future of African countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment