When the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC mega station opened to customers in Makurdi, the Benue State capital on November 22, 2007, many people thought it would bring relief to customers who buy petroleum products at exorbitant prices from independent marketers. Regrettably, five years on, the station has not lived up to people’s expectation.  Instead, it has chosen its own agenda and has been accused of various misdemeanours, ranging from diversion of products to favouring a class of customers. Godwin Ayinla, a motorist, described the development as the greatest thing that ever happened in the state.
Youth Against Sharp Practices, YASP, based in Makurdi, has called on the management of NNPC to immediately redeploy or remove from Makurdi, Alhaji Alhamin Investment, who has been alleged to divert petroleum products meant for the mega station to only his close associates and other parts of the country instead of the intended customers.
YASP accused the dealer of masterminding the illegal dealings at the filling station as well as diverting fuel, gas and kerosene to Taraba, Bauchi and other states, a development it said has not impacted positively on the state. In a statement made available to Newsworld, coordinator of the group, Msen Igyegh alleged that the dealer has persistently gone contrary to the initial reasons that prompted the establishment of the station. Igyegh observed that the inability of Alhaji M Manu who heads the mega station to stop the trend and remedy the situation has worsened the case. He therefore called on both the federal and state governments to take a proactive step by appointing a new dealer that would render better services to the people.
This magazine’s findings showed that YASP is not the only group complaining about the excesses of the mega station. Joseph Sani, a Makurdi based technician is also bitter. Sani told this magazine last week that the problem of the station resulted from a barefaced drive by the staff who collaborate with security men to make fast money. "They achieve this by serving customers who offer them tips instead of those who spend hours on the queue." He stressed that the situation has become worse with the current scarcity of products "because most vehicle owners who wake up very early every morning go home without buying any product since they do not give tips.”
Sani said he advised the staff of the filling station against their discriminatory act but that they claimed the customers who people were accusing of being unduly favoured were staff of NNPC.  Sani wondered: “If you have one gallon, especially kerosene, you cannot buy but somebody with about 30 jerry cans with the capacity of 20 litres each, will have access to it (kerosene).”
Gadaffi Asemanya, special assistant to Suswam on public utilities and a member of the task force told this magazine that he was aware of the petitions levelled against the management of the mega station and assured that the matter would be looked into. Efforts to speak with Alhaji Alhamin failed because he was not available when the magazine visited his office but a staff who pleaded anonymity dismissed the allegations as false. 
At the recent inauguration of the petroleum task force to prevent the unwholesomeness of marketers like, diversion of products and other sharp practices, the Benue State Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswam threatened to withdraw the certificate of erring marketers.

News Image: