IPMAN urges govt to liberalise importation of kerosene

THE Western Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has advised the Federal Government to liberalise importation of kerosene.The Chairman of the Zone, Olumide Ogunmade, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, that this was the only way to check marketers from converting kerosene to aviation fuel.Ogunmade said that IPMAN was not involved in importation of aviation fuel as major marketers were given preferential treatment in the importation of the product.He said that if importation of kerosene was liberalised and all marketers were importing, it would go along way in addressing issues of diversion.'I think it is the Federal Government that is creating scarcity of kerosene due to the fact that it is the only agency that is importing kerosene.'I think if marketers are allowed to import the product, issues of converting kerosene to aviation fuel by some marketers will not occur,' he said.The IPMAN boss stressed that issues of diversion of kerosene to aviation fuel would not ariseif as many marketers were importing.'As long there is scarcity, people will intend to make fast money and there is no way you can run from these issues.Ogunmade said the Western zone of the association was planning to establish a refinery in the country if it could find technical partners.He said that the association was working with the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to commence importation of petroleum products into the country.'If we have good technical partners, we can build a refinery in the country because we control the market and the business,' Ogunmade claim.Chairman of Association of Petroleum Products Marketers, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, last week, alleged that some marketers were selling kerosene as aviation fuel.
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