The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Ilorin depot, in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the state government on Tuesday crashed kerosene price from N130 per litre to N50 per litre.

IPMAN sold about 33,000 litres of the product to consumers in Ilorin At three filling stations.

Our correspondent, who monitored the exercise, observed that the buyers expressed relief at the intervention of IPMAN, the NNPC and the state government.

They noted that the intervention had reduced the hardship they faced while trying to buy the product, which was sold  between N110 and N130 per litre.

An ex-officio of IPMAN, Ilorin depot,  Alhaji Okanlawon Olanrewaju,  said the exercise was aimed at reducing the suffering the consumers were going through while buying the product.

Olanrewaju said, "IPMAN is collaborating with the NNPC in bringing kerosene at the control prize of N50 per litre  to Ilorin. We are selling 33,000 litres. We distribute it at three filling stations.

"This is a direct intervention from the NNPC to reach the marketers directly so that by the time we are giving product like this, it will be much easier for us to get it. The supply was the main problem before. Since the NNPC has given it to us directly, we will be selling at the control prize of N50 per litre."

He urged the residents to be patient and hoped the collaboration of the state government with the NNPC and IPMAN to bring products to Ilorin would be a continuous exercise.

The Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Petroleum Monitoring, Alhaji Isiaka  Amubieya, said the state government was unhappy that the residents were purchasing kerosene above the control price.

He stated that the government decided to collaborate with IPMAN and the NNPC to mitigate the suffering of the people.  He added that the state government was elated at the prize reduction.

"The state government is not happy at the sale of kerosene above the control prize.  Most of the petroleum stations sell at N120 or N130 per litre.

"With the government's collaboration with IPMAN and the NNPC, we were able to bring about 33,000 litres of kerosene to Ilorin which we distributed through three stations across the Ilorin metropolis at the rate of N50 per litre," Amubieya said.