Fuel scarcity looms as IPMAN threatens warning strike over bridging claims
Attahiru Suleiman
The members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, in nine Northern states, have threatened to embark on a warning strike over the failure of the Federal Government to offset N70 billion bridging claims in the last three years.
Abbas Yakubu, General Secretary of IPMAN, Maiduguri Depot, made this known at a press conference in Maiduguri, while revealing the intention of the association in the region.
According to him, IPMAN had been lobbying the management of the Nigerian Mid and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, but to no avail.
Abbass said, “Failure to pay our bridging claims will lead to the suspension of services at the nine oil depots.
The depots to be affected by the three-day warning strike are located in Maiduguri, Yola, Kano, Gusau, Jos, Suleja, Kaduna, Gombe and Minna.
The IPMAN Northern regional General Secretary revealed that the non-payment of claims had caused untold hardship on members of IPMAN with a resolve to withdraw services at the nine fuel depots.
He also confirmed that about N2 billion had been paid by the defunct DPR, now NMDPRA, but claimed that a significant part of the N70 billion outstanding bridging claims is yet to be settled, almost three years ago.
“No payment has been made in the last three years,” he said.
He urged NMDPRA to pay the outstanding N70 billion bridging claims to members of the association.
Apart from the bridging claims, the IPMAN scribe revealed that all lifted products should be settled or paid within a month, as agreed with the NMDPRA.
He threatened that failure by the regulatory agencies to offset the outstanding bill could lead to an indefinite suspension of services in all fuel depots and filling stations in concerned states.
