Kano — Members of the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) called for the suspension of a new policy by the Petroleum Equalization Fund that will require tankers that lose monitoring chips installed at loading points to pay N2 million as penalty.

The association said the sanction was coming at a time the new scheme was not fully understood by petroleum products marketers and transporters.

ADITOP, in a letter jointly signed by its national president, Alhaji Lawan Danzaki and national coordinator Isa Tijjani mni and addressed to the Executive Secretary Petroleum Equalization Fund, pointed out that the scheme did not take into consideration the bad state of roads in the country, which it said could cause the disappearance of the chip during transit.

"Considerations should (first) be given to popularizing and securing acceptance, thereafter, moderate sanctions could be introduced," the letter said.

"We therefore urge that introduction of sanctions be shelved temporarily pending the successful implementation of the scheme. The current system of surcharging anyone that loses the chip placed on tankers to the tune of N2 million is not only ill advised but prohibitive.

Similarly, the association also demanded the executive secretary to urgently address problems of delays at loading and discharging points as well as settling outstanding payments in order to cut loss of revenue to their members.

"These problems if not urgently arrested are capable of eroding the confidence of transporters/marketers in the project as it is currently translating to loss of revenue, turnover and man hour. It is also capable of aggravating the ugly situation of fuel scarcity with attendant consequences on our fragile economy," it said.