The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has issued a stern warning to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) over unpaid bridging claims totaling over N100 billion.
Addressing Journalists in Abuja on Monday, IPMAN’s Depot Chairmen Forum expressed frustration over the NMDPRA’s failure to pay the bridging claims, despite repeated promises.
The claims, which date back to 2024, were deducted from marketers’ payments for products to settle bridging allowances.
The forum’s chairman, Yahaya Alhassan, stated that the nine northern depots, comprising Jos, Gusau, Minna, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri, have been completely grounded due to the lingering debt.
IPMAN also decried the NMDPRA’s imposition of abnormal levies, including a 5% commission on the sale of petrol stations, which they described as unconstitutional and anti-developmental.
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The association gave NMDPRA an ultimatum to pay the bridging claims immediately, threatening to take collective action with sister organizations, the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).
IPMAN also called on the federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, to intervene in the prolonged dispute.
The federal government had previously paid oil marketers N74 billion for bridging claims and another N2.7 billion for freight differentials as of June 6, 2024. However, IPMAN’s current demands highlight the ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
