The group also promised to end illegal refining, oil bunkering, fuel crisis and sale of adulterated products in the country. Its Deputy Chairman Abdulahi Idris, said it will achieve this by unifying petroleum suppliers across the country and synegising with the government
An association of oil and gas traders- Natural Oil And Gas Suppliers Association (NOGASA), says some of its members are owed debts of up to N300 million by states, companies and individuals. Secretary of the body, Edison Nwosu said at the end of a Board of trustee meeting in Abuja today that it is working on helping its members recoop their investments and get banks to aid them with loans.
The group also promised to end illegal refining, oil bunkering, fuel crisis and sale of adulterated products in the country. Its Deputy Chairman Abdulahi Idris, said it will achieve this by unifying petroleum suppliers across the country and synegising with the government:
“We aim to clean up the system very well, especially the challenges in the system. We are doing this through educating our members, especially
on the need for the removal of adulterated products and also to bring sanity in the system.
“We are tired of the complaints of low quality and scarcity issues in the country; diversion of product outside. Also, a lot of people do not have the knowledge on how to trade in oil and gas.
“We have observed that our members just go to register their companies, go and build stations, start supplying products to companies and agencies without even knowing how DPR works about quality checks; not knowing how the country works with the refineries issue; even the source of supply is a problem; and delivery is also a problem. Hence, we have promised to educate ourselves very well and support our members and government also.” Idris said the association will study the pattern of distribution to ensure smooth operation and aid the government with expertise:
“The reason for forming the association is to help understand the pattern of distribution, so that everything would be in place.
“The responsibility of government today is becoming too much, simply because Government has no support. Everybody is working in silos; but with the unity that our association brings, government would be supported, to guide the sector properly.
“With proper guidance, scarcity would be no more. What happens previously that caused scarcity is one problem or the other, because even the NNPC needed to be advised. They cannot just advise themselves being in the office; they need people practicalising the trade on the ground to advice them. We are going to create a free hand for everybody to come and be part of the association, because oil and gas in Nigeria business today is going down. Today, it is subsidy issue, or no subsidy ; people do not even understand the subsidy issue. Many people do not even understand how it works. Either subsidy is working or not, we should understand it and tell the people the way forward. That is why we are forming the association."