EFCC Probes Missing 90 Million Litres Of Fuel


A probe is being conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into the scam in the oil sector last December during which about 90 million litres of fuel got missing at the height of scarcity.

Petroleum Minister, Rilwanu Lukman, who confirmed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on Thursday, pledged that those whose hands were soiled will be punished.

He said the matter is already before the EFCC which has started an investigation.

In the mean time, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) National Chairman, Aminu Abdulkadri, has explained that members of the association cannot sell at the official price of N65 per litre due to a gap in supply.

He explained at a forum organised in Lagos by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that ``the government should not expect us to sell the product at official rate because we get it above the price.

“For us to meet up with the price, the NNPC needs to moderate its distribution chart by considering the IPMAN.

``We have lodged our money with depots for over nine months and cannot get products.”

Abdulkadri urged the NNPC to assist the IPMAN through sufficient distribution of products, so as to reduce scarcity and profiteering.

He said the IPMAN hardly gets 30 per cent of products from the NNPC and buys from third parties.

``lf they accord us the privilege of supplying us it will enable members to sell at regulated price without adding additional charges.

``If the IPMAN is given an equal opportunity of distribution, we will ensure that products get to every nook and cranny of the country because our members are everywhere.”

Abdulkadri stated that while IPMAN members cannot get supply, the NNPC diverts products to its mega stations.

He said IPMAN trucks are stranded at the depots, queuing endlessly to load products, and urgent measures should be taken to address the problem.

In his view, the government should consider giving credit facilities to IPMAN members to enable them confront supply challenges.

He urged the NNPC to hold meetings with all stakeholders monthly or quarterly in order to address issues without waiting for crisis to escalate.