By Emma Arubi
WARRI—IT has been predicted that Delta State will face another round of fuel scarcity during the yuletide period as long queues were already being witnessed in Warri. Major fuel station are short of petroleum products.

Chief Akpos Edafevwotu, state Chairman of Members of Independent Marketers Association, IPMAN, said this during their 2011 Annual General Meeting, AGM, with officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR and Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC in Warri.

The independent marketers told NNPC officials that there was currently no kerosene, DPK, in the country and expressed fears that it might not be possible to sell at government-regulated price of N65 per litre since they get the product their depot at N65.30k per litre.

They said they might be forced to stop business until government makes the product available at a cheap rate.

Earlier, Zonal Operations Controller of DPR, Mr. A. Okaro, charged the marketers to put a human face on the business by selling at regulate prices, while asking Nigerians to join hands with the government to find lasting solutions to the product scarcity.

He acknowledged the non-availability of kerosene in the country.

Okaro appealed to IPMAN members to desist from sharp practices like adjusting  metre reading, product diversion and adulteration.

According to him, DPR is not interested in sending any marketer out of business, but that stations where sharp practices are discovered will be dealt with appropriately.