The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN has warned Nigerians to prepare their mind for the worst fuel crises this time around. IPMAN issued this statement in protest over the failure of the Federal Government to clear a backlog of bridging costs, otherwise known as the transport fee to the marketers in the last eight months. Although the marketers have revealed that the federal government can avert the crises if only they are concerned about the Nigerian masses that voted for them through prevailing on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to offset the N500billion it is owing to its members.
Bashir Danmallam, the IPMAN Chairman of the Kano state branch made these remarks while addressing newsmen in Kano yesterday during a news conference.
Danmallam threatened that failure by the federal government to yield to their demand of settling their transport claims may spell more hardship on Nigerians as many of its members could not afford to transport the fuel to its final destination due to the high cost of diesel.
He lamented that the failure by the NMDPRA to settle their outstanding claims for eight months will definitely disrupt the supply chain of the fuel as it has already sent some of its members out of business because even if the product is available, it cannot reach its destinations across the country.
The IPMAN chairman in his statement said, “NMDPRA is responsible for the payment of bridging claims otherwise known as transportation claims
“For 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 petroleum products nationwide.
He said, “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 the amalgamation of DPR, PEF, and PPRA to NMDPRA, the agency had paid them only two times.
The IPMAN chairman, therefore, called on the federal government to save the situation before it snowball into a full flagged scarcity in the country.
He explained that “As leaders, we have to come out to say the truth because our members are suffering from the failure of the agency to pay the fund. This Petroleum Equalisation Fund is our own money we contribute to each liter. This agency is doing more harm than good to us,”
He, therefore, calls on Nigerians to hold the federal government responsible for the fuel crises, not the IPMAN.
He concluded that IPMAN is not agitating for an increase in the allowance but to offset the outstanding bill to help them continue in business.
