Fuel scarcity looms as marketers threaten strike over ₦100bn claims

Fuel scarcity looms as marketers threaten strike over ₦100bn claims

Nigerians may face fuel shortages in the coming days as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) threatens to initiate a nationwide strike due to the non-payment of bridging claims totaling ₦100 billion.

In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, the association’s chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, warned that if the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) fails to make the payment within seven working days, marketers will cease loading and distributing petroleum products across the country. Additionally, they will lock all their stations nationwide.

Alhassan emphasized that this issue had been raised at a previous stakeholders’ meeting, which was convened just before the last strike action organized by the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO). During this meeting, NMDPRA had promised to settle the bridging claims within 40 days, a promise made in the presence of the National Security Adviser, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Adeola Ajayi. However, months have passed with no payment made.

He noted that the nine Northern depots, including Jos, Gusau, Minna, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri, are now completely paralyzed due to the outstanding debt. The bridging claims, which were deducted from marketers at the point of product payment to settle their allowances, remain unpaid.

The association also expressed concern about the increasing number of deaths among its members, the closure of their businesses, layoffs, and the take-over of their premises by commercial banks, all stemming from NMDPRA’s failure to clear the debt.

Furthermore, Alhassan criticized the NMDPRA for imposing additional abnormal levies, including a 5% commission on the sale of petrol station outlets and charges for renovations. These actions, according to him, are not only hindering development but also unconstitutional, and IPMAN is demanding the immediate suspension of these levies.

In conclusion, Alhassan stated that if the NMDPRA does not settle the outstanding debt, the association will collaborate with its sister organizations, including the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and NARTO, to take collective action. The association is urging the federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, to intervene in the ongoing dispute between IPMAN and the NMDPRA. If their demands are not addressed immediately, IPMAN members will take action, starting on Monday, February 24, 2025.

They have called on their members across the country to remain determined and law-abiding as they await a resolution from the NMDPRA.

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