By: Felix Ikpotor
The Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Port Harcourt Unit, has urged marketers in Rivers State and its surrounding states to patronize the Port Harcourt Refinery.
IPMAN noted that not patronising the refinery would render the efforts of the Federal Government and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, in revamping the refinery a waste.
Chairman of IPMAN in Rivers State, Tekena Ikpaki, made the appeal during a joint stakeholders’ meeting at the association’s secretariat in Alesa Eleme.
Ikpaki emphasized that supporting the refinery would improve product availability for the public and assured marketers that all concerns relating to loading and pricing would be addressed.
“I want to encourage marketers to come and patronise the Port Harcourt Refinery deport. This deport has the capacity to serve the entire nation and if the deport is not patronised then the efforts of the Federal Government is wasted as well as what the NNPCL is tirelessly putting in here will also be wasted.
“So my appeal to the public is that they should come and patronise the deport because there is so much product to buy to service the nation from this deport,” Ikpaki stated.
Also, the Chairman of Independent Marketers Board, IMB, in Rivers State, Udunwo Uche, stated that stakeholders at the meeting have put forward recommendations to help the refinery operate at full capacity.
He equally advised marketers to patronise the deport, saying that it is cost effective to patronise Port Harcourt Refinery than buying from Dangote Refinery.
“We have been able to talk to ourselves and some persons concerned and we are hopeful that there would be positive response.
“We expect more marketers coming to the Port Harcourt Refinery to lift products and once that happens, the place will be lively again.
“The refinery houses alot of persons, a lot of families feed from here so by the time more marketers come here to lift their products, we expect life to return to the place,” he said.
“If you pick product from Dangote Refinery, you will pay so much transportation cost, so for us who are closer here, I think it will pay us if we buy from here because the cost of haulage cannot be compared to the difference,” Uche added.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that the meeting brought together key stakeholders, including IPMAN, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), the Independent Marketers Board (IMB), and community representatives.
