By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN—INDEPENDENT Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Benin, Edo State branch, is to partner with Edo State government to set up an Independent Power Plant, IPP, in Benin.

National Vice-Chairman of IPMAN, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, disclosed this while inaugurating a 10-man committee to run the affairs of Benin branch of the association for the next three months.

Elder Okonkwo said the association appreciates and support the work Governor Adams Oshiomhole, is doing in Edo State.

Benin branch of IPMAN, until the setting up of the committee,  had been bedevilled by crisis that paralysed its operations, especially at the Benin depot of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for over one year.

He also said that IPMAN was already involved in the importation of petroleum products to ensure that its members do not suffer from the scarcity of the products, adding that its ship loads of petroleum products were on the high sea.

The committee set up by the Alhaji Aminu Abdulkair- led national body of the association, has Mr. Douglas Iyike as chairman. It is expected to handover the affairs of the association to an elected executive at the expiration of three months.

Inaugurating the Caretaker Committee, Elder Okoronkwo appealed to IPMAN members in the Benin zone to work in unity, saying that the Presidency of the association had eluded the branch for a long time as a result of the division among its members.

He said that the task of the Committee was onerous and charged members to work assiduously for the reconciliation of all members.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Iyike assured that his Committee would work to bring peace to the depot.

He also promised to work with the Edo State Task Force on Petroleum Products to eradicate fuel scarcity and pipeline vandalism in the state.