October 03, (THEWILL) – Scarcity of petroleum products is looming in at least three states in the country as the Eastern Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria Calabar Depot threatens to go on strike.
IPMAN Calabar Depot is made up of over 500 members from Makurdi, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states and they are members of eastern zone of the association.
The planned industrial action by IPMAN Eastern Zone follows a series of harassment of members by officers of the Nigerian Police Force and also an alleged plan to foist a leadership on the association.
Speaking on the matter, the Calabar Depot chairman of IPMAN, Comrade Robert Obi, said it is becoming a habit by the police to not only harass the leadership but attempt to impose a factional leadership.
This he said is happening when the issues surrounding who is the authentic chairman and national president have been settled by Nigeria’s Supreme Court.
“We want to draw the attention of the general public to the continued harassment of our leadership and some members of IPMAN in the name of enforcing a directive by a top Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
“We were surprised that on Thursday, 29, 2021 about 6;00pm, a police team from Federal Housing stormed our secretariat and tried to force us out and install an illegal leadership.
“When we confronted them they told us they got orders from above to come and take over our office at Calabar Depot. And if this act of impunity continues, we shall not hesitate to withdraw the services of our over 500 members.
“We would go further to shut down the over 20 depots in our branch and close down over 400 petrol stations to protest the attack on our office and harassment of our members. We have over suffered in the hands of the police.
“The police have no business in how we run our affairs; neither do they have the right to determine who and who our members are. They have attempted to take over our secretariat in Port Harcourt, our members resisted them there. Now they have come down to Calabar to chase our members out of our secretariat and we shall continue to resist such illegal moves.
“Our last option is to embark on an indefinite strike in the days ahead. It is the economy and the public that would suffer the consequences of the strike as other branches would not hesitate to join us in the fight to liberate IPMAn in the zone. So, we call on the federal government and police authorities to call their men to order”, he said.
Obi explained that the Supreme Court judgment of February 21, 2019 and that of Federal High Court Calabar dated June 19, 2019 have settled the succession tussle “as both judgements recognised automatic succession of the Deputy National President, Alh Sanusi Abdu Fari, as National President of IPMAN, based on 1997 constitution of the association.”
The Eastern Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, has been having a running battle with officers of the Nigeria Police Force over alleged attempts by the police to foist a factional leadership for IPMAN across Enugu, Aba, Rivers, and Cross River.
Last month, the national president of the association, Alhaji (Engr.) Sanusi Fari, in a statement noted with dismay the incessant attack by men of Nigeria police force at their secretariats in Port Harcourt, Aba, Calabar, Enugu and Makurdi Depots.
As a result, he directed members to withdraw their services immediately from all loading depots if police harassment continues.
Reacting to the allegation of police attacks on their office and plot to install a factional leadership in Calabar, the Cross River state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, said they will investigate.
“We are not aware that a team of policemen from the Federal Housing Division went to the IPMAN office to take over the secretariat. We would investigate that and revert”, he said.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
