Prepare For Worst Fuel Scarcity, Oil Marketers Tells Nigerians, Gives Reason

Oil Marketers tells Nigerians to Prepare For Worst Fuel Scarcity

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has asked Nigerians to prepare for the worst fuel crisis.

To avoid this, the petrol marketers association asked the government to prevail on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to pay its members their outstanding bridging claims amounting to over N500billion.

The IPMAN chairman in Kano State, Bashir Danmalam, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Kano, Monday.

He said the failure of the NMDPRA to pay the bridging claims otherwise known as transportation claim had forced many of its members out of business as they couldn’t transport the commodity due to high cost of diesel.

He lamented that nonpayment of the claims by the agency (NMDPRA) for over eight months had crippled the business of many of their members as they couldn’t transport the commodity even though it was available.

“NMDPRA is responsible for the payment of bridging claims otherwise known as transportation claims. Failure of the NMDPRA to pay the outstanding claims for about nine months, many marketers cannot transport the product because their funds are not being paid. Despite the high price of diesel, they manage to supply the petroleum products nationwide.

“The resurfacing of fuel queues in Abuja is just a tip of the iceberg with regard to the petroleum scarcity. Out of 100 percent, only five percent of the marketers can supply the petroleum products because of the failure of NMDPRA to pay them.”

He noted that since after the amalgamation of DPR, PEF and PPRA to NMDPRA, the agency had paid the marketers only two times.

Danmalam, therefore, called on the federal government to intervene before the situation degenerated into a serious problem fuel crisis and spread to other parts of the country.