A nationwide premix diversion scandal has been the subject of discussion for the past one week, after Citi News found out that the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), in separate letters, has cited over 200 cases of diversions since January to October 2017.

In the latest development however, the Volta Regional Premix fuel Coordinator, Johnson Avuletey, attributing his claims to some fishermen, accused Elikem Sewordor, Coordinator of Volta Marine of the Premix Secretariat, of leading an organized operation of diverting and hoarding fuel meant for the fisher-folk in the region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”YnrqPLxRJyJfSlqK7nbII9E06crV7rjp”]According to Mr. Avuletey, his attention was drawn to the massive diversion following complaints by the fisher-folk about shortage of the product, although enough fuel has been supplied to the area.

“I am surprised that a lot of premix is coming to the region, but the fisher-folk are still complaining… I realized that some of the coordinators are not living up to expectations. They are doing their own thing,” he told Citi News.

Elikem Sewordor was accused of smuggling some of the fuel to Togo, and later sells the hoarded ones to fisher-folk at exorbitant prices.

Mr. Avuletey said he was in Togo about two months ago, and he managed to intercept a tricycle with ‘Kufuor gallons’ carrying premix.

“When I stopped them, I realized it was full of premix. So that is the job they are doing. But I could not do anything so I just left it like that. For the south, in my meetings with them, on three occasions, they complained bitterly about the coordinator, Elikem… Elikem being the coordinator was a secretary to almost 10 landing beach committees, which is not proper.”

But Elikem Sewordor, who claims to be receiving treatment at the hospital, in a statement copied to citifmonline.com, has denied the allegations.

He said “the allegation of premix diversion levelled against my person is complete falsehood.

Elikem Sewordor, who is believed to be the nephew of the Fisheries and Aquaculture  Minister, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, explained his role as a Coordinator of Volta Marine.

Below is his response

To begin with, my role as coordinator of Volta Marine, an enclave made up of about 32 landing beaches in the Southern Volta enclave, is to place orders to the Premix Secretariat upon requisitions from LBCs within my jurisdiction. Upon placing orders with the Secretariat, OMCs are contracted by the Secretariat to do deliveries of fuel to landing beaches.

On the procedure of discharge of premix at landing beaches by OMCs, there are strict administrative controls which include the Chairman and Secretary of the receiving Landing Beach Committee signing and using their local stamps to endorse the delivery documents. All the records are verifiable so how can a coordinator be accused of diversion?

Since my appointment in April this year, there has never been a case of premix fuel diversion in my area of coordination. The only incidence, as I recall, was a redirection to a wrong landing beach as a result of instructions from the regional coordinator, Mr. Avulete.

This incident occurred in September, when Anloga, which has two landing beaches – A and B, had one of its LBCs made a requisition through me as their Coordinator, and I did place an order at the Secretariat.

However, the OMC which was contracted to do delivery was wrongly redirected to the next landing beach within Anloga upon instructions of Mr. Avulete, the regional coordinator. As news came to my attention about the incident, I reached the OMC and the order was delivered to the rightful LBC, still within Anloga, which made the requisition.

In terms of controls, various administrative bureaucracies and tighter controls have been instituted by the Premix Secretariat which guides our operations as coordinators. I therefore entreat the public to disregard the fabrications sponsored against my person with claims of diverting Premix fuel to Togo. I remain loyal to the vision of the President and Minister of Fisheries to support the fisheries subsector with logistics and adequate resources for improved national fish stock and higher productivity.

Signed By: Elikem Sewordor, Coordinator of Volta Marine, Premix Secretariat
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Southern Volta premix coordinator denies diverting fuel to Togo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Association, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), can rely on the same tracking system that detected the diversions, to fish out the perpetrators for the necessary sanctions.

The Premix Distributors Association  gave the advice in a statement signed by its secretary, Ransford Kissi Appiah and copied citifmonline.com.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XTXKmiolPJ2veJUxbg1TfKkHfOVyCxju”]“…We humbly appeal to the NPA to use the tracking technology at their disposal to effect the arrest of perpetrators in the act to serve as deterrent.”

The Association also appealed to the NPA to give its members access to the tracking system to help forestall such illegal diversions within the sector.

“To help prevent further deterioration of the situation, we urgently appeal to the NPA to consider granting OMCs access to the tracking system. This is to help arrest any driver/LBC [Landing Beach Committee] collusion in the discharge of our duties to our dear nation,” the statement added.

Background

Reports from the NPA suggest that, over 200 cases of diversions have been recorded since January 2017 till date.

Citi News sighted several letters the NPA wrote to the National Premix Committee and the stakeholders  in the sector, complaining about the matter, but has not been able to make any arrests.

Premix fuel sector gold mine for party executives – Inland Fisherman

Chairman of the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council, Jacob Tetteh Ageke, has suggested that political party executives in various constituencies are involved in the act, adding that they profit hugely from the mismanagement of the distribution.

Mr. Owusu confirmed this, reminding the NPA to be tough regardless of political influence.

“The issue lies with NPA. NPA has to be tough irrespective of whoever is there because these are political people who have taken a position in this premix issue so it is very risky as an authority trying to stamp your authority on these things. I believe the NPA can do more. “

Pre-mix fuel diversion: We can’t punish perpetrators – Committee

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Pre-mix Fuel committee, Nii Lantey Bannerman, has said his outfit does not have the power to sanction persons who divert subsidized premix fuel meant for fishermen to other areas to be sold to industries.

According to him, only the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) can sanction or withdraw the licenses of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) who perpetrate such acts.

OMCs making abnormal profit from diversions

The government is spending several millions of cedis subsidizing the cost of premix fuel for fishermen, who are buying it at Gh7.20 pesewas per gallon.

Per Citi News’ calculations, the diversions from January to October alone have cost the country about 7 million cedis.

However, there are reports that those diverting the product are selling it to industries about two times the price, thereby creating artificial shortages in the fishing communities, and denying fishermen their due.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post OMCs urge NPA to arrest premix fuel ‘thieves’ with tracking device appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They say the Nana Addo government started supplying the product on a good note in January, but the situation took a nosedive when various scheduled date were violated.

The Western Region since January 2017 has had 189,000 gallons of premix fuel diverted 14 times, mainly to Tema. These diversions were done on a small scale in the first half of the year, but took a dramatic turn in July up until October.

According to the leaked NPA letters complaining about the diversions, Compass Oleum, one of the Oil Marketing Companies distributing the Premix Fuel to fishermen, allegedly on October 2nd and 13th this year, had signed in the name of the Anto Apewosika Landing Beach Committee, one of the 8 landing beaches at Axim, a predominantly fishing community in the Nzema East Municipality, but never had their product supplied.

Compass Oleum had even said the committee had received and signed relevant documents covering the product delivery.

But the fishermen narrated a different story. An unhappy NPP party representative on the Anto Apewosika Landing Beach Committee, Joseph Sam, explained that the Anto Apewosika Landing Beach Committee has not been supplied the commodity for nearly a month.

He said he could not understand why others will be supplied but they will be denied.

“We have some 120 canoes here. Throughout this year, we have received a total of 18 tankers which is inadequate. Once the product has not been supplied, we do not know what to do. I can tell you we have not received any of the products for close to a month and our fishermen are suffering.”

At Dixcove, another fishing community in the Ahanta West District, chairman of the Upper Dixcove Landing Beach Committee, who is also the Chief Fisherman for Upper Dixcove, Nana Essel, said the distribution been marred with series of inefficiencies. According to him, upon assumption of office, the NPP promised fishermen of weekly premix fuel supply, but the promise was honoured somehow in January 2017, but took a dramatic turn in ensuing months.

He explained that “It’s very difficult for us. From January 2017, we were supplied either 2 times or 4 times weekly for each of the two communities. Shortly it came to 1 tanker one community. Today, it can take two to three weeks before we at Dixcove could get even one tanker. I as the chief fisherman and chairman of the landing beach committee had to travel to Axim before I could get premix to buy. Even at Axim, you will not get to buy it at the normal price. Fuel is now scarce so at Axim, there are people who buy and keep the product till it becomes scarce. When it gets to this stage, then they sell it to us at Gh700 instead of the Gh375 normal price. That’s what it is.”

He accused the Western Regional Landing Beach Committee of engaging in corrupt deals which has given rise to the low supply of the product.

“It’s the leaders at Sekondi. I was part of a delegation that went to our Premix Committee to place an order at Sekondi. They will in turn send our orders to Accra. So we asked them the reason why some landing beaches receive their orders but others don’t. We wanted to understand why it could take weeks before others will receive their orders. It was there we were told that all the requests from the region are sent as the landing beaches have requested, but it is when it gets there that some orders are taken out without prior notice. We told them we cannot understand and that we have made it our point to put it to the minister to explain. Sometimes, for about two months, there has not been any supply. It’s not easy my brother. It’s not”.

More diversions

In the Jomoro district, one of the OMCs allegedly involved in this fuel diversions, Oando, diverted Premix Fuel meant for Half Assini to Tema on 2nd February this year.

Alinco Oil also diverted the product meant for the Landing Beach Committee at Beyin on the 18th and 26th of April this year to Tema.

Another consignment which was loaded by Alinco Oil into a truck with registration number AS-7937-C on 26th April, found its way back to Tema instead of Benyin. Fishermen in the area also xpressed their disappaointment at the handling of the product.

One of the Chief Fishermen told Citi News that “fishermen are no longer in charge of the sale of premix. It has been taken away from us to the boys. They are now selling it. Fishermen are really suffering. Just look at our canoes lying idle. They have politicized the sale of the product. That’s what the NPP is doing. Their boys have taken over the sale of the product. Fishermen are really suffering. My subjects are really suffering. I have a canoe myself, but how I struggle to get the product, and it’s not easy”.

One of the frustrated fishermen suggested that, the alleged fraudulent distribution of the product has been as a result of the lack of specific Oil Marketing Companies selected to deliver the product to specific landing beaches.

“We went to a meeting in Accra. At this meeting, we proposed that every landing beach committee should be assigned a specific oil marketing company that will be in charge of the supply to a particular landing beach. This we suggested will help the committees to place orders as and when they need the product. The answer we got from the National Premix Landing Beach Committee was that they will not assign any specific OMC to any specific landing beach, and that they will be in charge of the allocation of the OMCs”.

He continued that “since then, that is what we have seen them do. It really worries us. If we could get to know that it is Goil, Star Oil etc, that is supplying the product, we could have placed orders as and when we need it, and at what quantity. As we speak, no landing beach committee member can tell when you they are going to take the next delivery”.

Over 200 instances of pre-mix fuel diversions recorded in 2017

The National Petroleum Authority’s BRV Tracking System, recorded over 200 instances of diverted premix fuel between January and October 2017, but the regulator has failed to sanction the perpetrators.

It has instead been writing letters repeatedly to the National Premix Committee, which says it has no power to prosecute or entirely check the distribution of the product.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Premix shortage hits W/Region as NPA uncovers massive diversion appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.