Petrol Scarcity To Hit Nigeria Hard, Abuja Queue Is Just A Tip Of The Iceberg – IPMAN Warns

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) has raised an alarm over an impending fuel scarcity across the nation and warned Nigerians to get prepared.

The group blamed the impending fuel scarcity on the failure of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to pay its members’ bridging claims.

According to the IPMAN Chairman in Kano State, Bashir Danmalam who gave the update during a press conference he addressed on Monday, the NMDPRA owes its members over N500b as they have not been paid for about eight months.

He lamented that many of them have been forced out of business and into hardship due to the failure of the government to do the needful.

He added that if in the nearest future, nothing is done about their claims, then they won’t be able to distribute petrol products and Nigeria will suffer another round of fuel scarcity as the current queues in Abuja are just little compared to what may happen across Nigeria soon.

“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 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 per cent, only five per cent of the marketers can supply the petroleum products because of the failure of NMDPRA to pay them,” he stated.

Danmalam urged the federal government to urgently intervene before the matter degenerates into another fuel crisis situation.

He called on Nigerians not to put the blame on IPMAN if eventually what they are trying to avoid happens due to the government’s failure to uphold its own side of the bargain.

“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 litre. This agency is doing more harm than good to us,” Danmalam said.

“We are not agitating for a transportation fee increase, we are only clamouring for payment of our bridging claims that is over N500 billion,” he added.