Cross River State chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Michael Udofia has said that petroleum products estimated at about N3.4 billion have been lost in the state due to the activities oil thieves.
Speaking when he received the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Benito Eze in Calabar, he said pledged to collaborate with NSCDC to check mating all illegal bunkering activities.
The IPMAN chairman appealed to the NSCDC boss to assist in ridding the highways of surface tanks and drums as those who own and deal on petroleum products in such containers were not registered.
Udofia drew attention of the NSCDC Commandant to the road leading to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot noting that there were many of such people operating there illegally, stealing petroleum products and adulterating them
He said that no IPMAN member was involved in products adulteration and that they are committed to seeing and having a good working environment where their business will thrive.
Eze said his visit to the petroleum dealers was necessitated by the need to keep the state free from oil thieves, thus assisting government to have a better economy and create an investor friendly environment.
Dr. Eze expressed satisfaction with the way licensed Independent Oil marketers were carrying out their business in the state and urged them to weed out the bad eggs from their midst.