Business

‘Obuah-Led Rivers PDP Can’t Expell Amaechi’

Published

11 years ago

July 26, 2013

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Elder Chidi Weheoka has described the purported expulsion of Governor Chibuike Amaechi from the party as baseless , null and void.
Speaking to newsmen Wednesday Weheoka said the State Chapter of the PDP cannot expel Amaechi since the governor is a member of the party’s National Executive Council(NEC), hence only the national body could do so.
” They don’t have powers anywhere based on the PDP constitution to expel a member of NEC. Even the National Working Committee don’t have such powers and it’s only NEC. The law says you can suspend the person for one month thereafter you can review it and call the person back. So they don’t have the powers at all. They don’t know what is PDP constitution. As far as they are concerned they just have one master somewhere who tells them governor has done this today expel him,’’ Weheoka stated.
He described the new executive council of the party in the state as illegal recalling that an Okehi High Court had recognized the Chief Ake-led exco before the Abuja High Court ruled contrary.
Commenting on the attack on the four Northern governors who visited the State a week ago, the Chairman of the Rivers Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Agency said a lot of people misconstrued the visit of the governors. He revealed that the governors had come to show solidarity to one of their own Rt. Hon Amaechi who is the authentic chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum(NGF).
” I thought any well meaning Rivers person should thank them for coming to say to the governor that we are solidly behind you,’’ he said.
Condemning those who threw stones at the governor’s convoy during the visit, the Ikwerre born politician said,’’ the persons who did that know the power that be in Abuja who sent them so they should hold those people responsible and not innocent Rivers State people’’.
Weheoka said aside that, the president’s wife has equally contributed to the crises since she has disclosed her quarrel with Governor Amaechi over the sitting of primary school in Okrika.”
Weheoka while expressing disappointment over the persecution the governor was facing over his outcry for the ceding of oil wells from the state to neigbouring states of Akwa Ibom , Abia and Bayelsa, he said the crisis the state is facing stems from Amaechi’s defence of the state’s territorial resources.
He, therefore, challenged the president to stand up and speak condemning the situation if really he is not sponsoring the crisis, reasoning that the only way to end the political log jam is to follow the truth and defend justice.
On whether Governor Amaechi would defect to any other party, the PDP elder was of the opinion that it would be too early to say so since Amaechi himself has not declared. However, he observed that,’’ if we in Rivers State would defect the whole Rivers State would defect; if we want to go we would gather every person to speak out their mind on why they are going’’.
But for now, he said, Amaechi still remains, in PDP,” the governor has not told me he is leaving PDP and he is not the kind of man that takes decision alone. If he wants to take decision about the way forward for Rivers State that would bring progress, unity, rule and peace and above all security of lives and properties.’’

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

5 days ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu