Fuel scarcity looms as petroleum market threaten nationwide strike over N100bn bridging claims

Nigerians may be experience petrol scarcity in coming days as Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) threaten to embark on a nationwide strike action over non-payment of bridging claims amounting to N100 billion.

The association disclosed this plan during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, where it issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to clear off the  unpaid bridging claims.

Presenting a communique of the Association, Yahaya Alhassan, Chairman of IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum, said that the nine (9) Northern depots comprising of Jos depot, Gusau depot, Minna depot, Suleja depot, Kaduna Depot, Kano depot, Gombe depot, Yola Depot and Maiduguri depot have become completely grounded over this lingering debt.

He explained that the debt being owed are monies belonging to marketers, and which were deducted from us at the point of payments for products, in order to settle our bridging allowances.

“We have continued to record deaths of our members, closure of their businesses, retrenchment of staff, and the take-over of their business premises by the commercial banks, all arising from this refusal of the NMDPRA to pay us our monies.

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” We hereby call on the federal government of Nigeria headed by Pres. Bola Tinubu to fully intervene in these prolonged disputes between Depot Chairmen of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

“We will not hesitate to immediately take actions in due course if our demands are not met immediately beginning from today Monday 24th February 2025.” he said.

Speaking further, the Chairman decried the NMDPRA’s imposition of several abnormal levies including the imposition of a 5 percent commission accruable to them at the sale of any petrol station outlet in Nigeria.

“Tell me, when has the NMDPRA turned herself into real estate agents; collecting a commission on sales of Retail Petrol Outlets?There is no gainsaying the truism that the downstream retail industry is an ever evolving one. As IPMAN members, we go the extra mile to renovate our outlets occasionally, to meet with international best practices.

“However, the NMDPRA has also made this very difficult for us, as they have also subjected our members to paying bizarre levies whenever we deem it fit to renovate our petrol outlets.

“These are just a few of the many distressing levies they have forced on us; this are not only anti-developmental, they are also unconstitutional, and we are demanding their immediate suspension. As a forum of law-abiding Nigerians, we sincerely believe that we have given the NMDPRA enough time to pay us our monies in bulk and clear the bridging claims

“But in view of their constant refusal, we have therefore decided to liaise with our sister organizations; the PTD and NARTO in order to take a collective action in due course. As members of IPMAN, it is important to state that we also own sizeable numbers of petroleum tankers driven by the PTD, and we may be forced to withdraw our tankers from loading petroleum products in a view to enforce the immediate payment of our bridging and NTA claims,” added.