The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has remained the engine room of the Nigerian economy, despite his many recent leadership travails, given the truism that Nigerians and Nigeria, rely heavily on petroleum and its by-products to drive the economy.
Established in 1978, as a pressure group and an organization which should nonetheless attempt to optimistically influence Nigeria’s government policies in the upstream and downstream, through viable blueprints and ideas, IPMAN has witnessed a seemingly lackluster leadership, and a management crisis that have plagued the association in recent years. However, it has become more than necessary for IPMAN to become the powerhouse that it once was, and gear up to drive the economic policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria, led by Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, most especially in the oil and gas industry.
As Nigerians continue to face irregular availability of petroleum products in the country, most especially in the south east, south-south and in the north central, there has become an ever increasing need to thrust the leadership of IPMAN upon the shoulders of a widely acceptable technocrat and a statesman who understands the undertones of Nigeria’s petroleum policies and who has a firm grasp of all the most needed solutions at this time of our nation’s history.
Given the cogent need for an over-all solution to the issues of fuel unavailability in Nigeria, through practical and proven technical acumen, there is no gainsaying the truism that Alh. Abubakar Mai Gandi Shettiman, is the man that IPMAN deserves as the next IPMAN election draws closer in December.
Being the current Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alh. Shettiman confidently believes that now is the time for IPMAN to deploy its will-power towards a credible partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria in the quick rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries. He has also indicated his unwavering interest towards the establishment of new refineries across the geopolitical zones in Nigeria, by partnering with globally acclaimed foreign investors, and thereby securely launch Nigeria into the league of global oil producing world powers. This stride if attained, will no doubt put to stop, the perennial issues of fuel scarcity in Nigeria, and also lead to favorable price regime for petroleum products for the Nigerian consumers, increased profits for oil marketers, and surplus and stabilized foreign exchange for the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Given his noble antecedents as a tested and trusted depot chairman and the Vice President of IPMAN, Alh. Shettiman has equally vowed to bring to bear his wealth of experience and his international clout, as a viable entrepreneur into ensuring that IPMAN is nationally and globally seen on the front burner in changing the narrative for the better in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
While the federal government of Nigeria sets his policy apparatus to drive the implementation of the CNG as an alternative source of fuel for Nigerian vehicles, the role of IPMAN in ensuring the full realization of this drive cannot be over emphasized. Hence Alh. Shettiman, has not only pledged to partner resolutely with the Federal Government in this regard, but has also declared the full participation of IPMAN members in ensuring that the CNG facilities are provided in members’ stations.
These are critical issues that when properly undertaken, will lead to improved stakeholder relations between the federal government of Nigeria and IPMAN, and also create a viable measure of wealth for Nigerians across all sectors.
As the leadership crisis of IPMAN has negated all attempts to reach a mutually beneficial compromise across all parties, members of IPMAN have become divided as to their loyalty to the association. This has hampered the growth of the association and created cracks across the zones, which has also made IPMAN unable to fulfill its full potentials. However, as the election draws closer, Alh. Shettiman, believes he can bring together all members under one strong, vibrant, indivisible Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and under one umbrella to speak with one voice. He has promised to resolve the issues of divisive leadership and put an end to all grievances in one month, when elected as president, in a bid to guarantee IPMAN becomes the one and indivisible power house it is supposed to be.
The issues of advocacy have always taken the backseat at IPMAN, with the association’s members and the general public at a loss as to the activities and efforts of IPMAN in Nigeria in safeguarding her members interests. There appears to be no form of consistent public outreach from IPMAN since its inception till date. This has led to several contradictory publications from IPMAN on issues of national importance, while rumors continue to be at the behest of the public. Members of IPMAN and their businesses have also regularly been in the dark with some also grappling for sales. Alh. Abubakar Mai Gandi Shettiman has promised to tackle this malaise head on, and go the mile in ensuring daily and weekly dissemination of information regarding IPMAN, her members and her activities through dedicated channels of information, by also setting up a weekly radio and television advocacy program for IPMAN on international media stations, and create verified social media platforms for IPMAN. Through this medium, IPMAN would have decisively taken her place as an association committed to the ideals of the 21st century.
Of utmost importance to Alh. Shettiman, is his desire and outright willingness to work in harmony and full cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC Limited and Nigerian Midstream and Down Stream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to take members businesses to the next level, while making sure to a large extent that members have financial capacity and products availability at all times under a conducive atmosphere of trading.
With the unalloyed ability to muster the resources to build a world-class headquarter in Abuja for IPMAN, which he has solely promised to accomplished in one year in office, Alh. Shettiman has also pledged to go the extra mile in establishing befitting zonal offices for IPMAN across the country for efficient administration of its activities.
Indeed, there is no better time for IPMAN to consciously elevate its pride of place amongst the most viable stakeholders in Nigeria’s petroleum industry. The time is now. The time is today. And Alh. Abubakar Mai Gandi Shettiman is the man on a mission for the new and improved IPMAN.
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