A group, the Global Association of Concerned Imo Youths (GACIY), has cautioned the members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers in Imo State to stop exploiting residents while claiming to be fighting the government.
It questioned the rationale behind the hoarding of fuel thereby unleashing hardship on the people and enriching themselves.
GACIY expressed concern over the artificial scarcity which has led to a hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in the state in the last two weeks.
The group said “there is no national fuel scarcity. What we are suffering in Imo is artificial fuel crisis created by independent petroleum marketers in the state ostensibly to punish Imo State citizens,”
In a release signed by the Director of Contacts and Mobilization, Kizito Duru, the group said,”We view this development as gross wickedness and insensitivity on the part of oil marketers who are selling the false narrative of fighting the Government when they are actually enriching themselves by criminally selling above the stipulated price of fuel as announced by the Federal Government.
“It is shameful that a group that approached a court seeking favourable justice will turn the table to unleash wickedness and evil to the people simply because the State Government opted to appeal the judgement of the lower court. It is an aberration. Status quo should have been maintained by the Oil Marketers pending the judgement of the appellate court.
“We suspect the action of the oil marketers is politically motivated, because we find it strange that someone who volunteered to approach the Court on what he believed was injustice against him and subjected himself to the processes of court will turn around to reject another person’s right to approach the court. This is brigandage taken too far.
“To further underline the deliberate fight against Imo citizens, the group finds pleasure in selling to black marketers and the public at night.
“Again, to mark their callousness, they don’t have a fixed price. A fuel station at Amakohia would sell a liter at N250 while another at Akwakuma or Okigwe Road would go for N350 for a liter.
“We, as a group, therefore, join other well meaning individuals and groups to call on NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, and other petroleum products regulatory agencies to immediately enforce sanity and sanction all those dealers perpetrating irregularities, hoarding and profiteering petrol products thereby causing untold hardship to motorists and residents who scramble to fill their tanks and buy fuel to power their generators.”
GACIY expressed gladness that the Governor on Sunday said the government will not allow filling stations to charge innocent citizens N300 a litre by way of black market.
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