By Abiola Olawale
Nigeria is bracing for a potential nationwide fuel shortage as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over non-payment of a purported N100billion debt.
The group is demanding the immediate payment of a N100 billion debt owed to petrol marketers, threatening to halt services across the country if their demands are not met.
Yahaya Alhasan, Chairman of the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum, made this known on Monday while addressing a press conference.
According to him, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has allegedly failed to settle this debt despite a promise in the presence of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The delay, Alhasan stated during a press conference in Abuja, has left marketers financially strained and unable to sustain operations.
He added that the impact of this standoff is evident in parts of the country as several northern depots, including those in Jos, Gusau, Minna, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri, have ceased operations.
Adding to IPMAN’s frustration is a 5 per cent levy imposed by NMDPRA, Alhassan declared.
He bemoaned the levy, claiming that it was unfair amid the unpaid debt claims. Alhasan asserted: “If NMDPRA doesn’t pay our money within seven days, we are going to withdraw our services across the nation.”
“We are extremely frustrated that one year after our last demand as a forum, requesting the payment of over N100 billion owed to our members in bridging and NTA claims by the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, the management of the NMDPRA has deliberately ignored our request, even after making clear promises to pay us.
“One of those promises was made by the NMDPRA at the stakeholders’ meeting convened on the eve of the last strike action declared by NARTO. At that stakeholders’ meeting, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, listed this same IPMAN bridging claim as part of their demands before the strike action was called off.
“The NMDPRA promised to offset the bridging claims in 40 days, even in the presence of the National Security Adviser, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu, and the DG DSS, Mr. Adeola Ajayi. However, 40 days have today become months with no hope of our payment.
“Hence, the nine (9) Northern depots, comprising the Jos depot, Gusau depot, Minna depot, Suleja depot, Kaduna depot, Kano depot, Gombe depot, Yola depot, and Maiduguri depot, have become completely grounded due to this lingering debt.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is imperative to state again that this debt being owed to us is money belonging to marketers, which was deducted from us at the point of payment for products to settle our bridging allowances.
“We have also continued to record the deaths of our members, the closure of their businesses, the retrenchment of staff, and the takeover of their business premises by commercial banks, all arising from this refusal of the NMDPRA to pay us our money.
“Another worrisome development is the NMDPRA’s imposition of several abnormal levies on our members.”
He added: “Chief among them is the imposition of a 5 per cent commission accruable to them from the sale of any petrol station outlet in Nigeria. Tell me, when has the NMDPRA turned itself into a real estate agency, collecting a commission on the sale of retail petrol outlets? There is no gainsaying the fact that the downstream retail industry is an ever-evolving one.
“And so, as IPMAN members, we go the extra mile to renovate our outlets occasionally to meet international best practices.
“However, the NMDPRA has also made this very difficult for us, as they have subjected our members to paying bizarre levies whenever we deem it fit to renovate our petrol outlets.
“These are just a few of the many distressing levies they have forced on us. These are not only anti-developmental but also unconstitutional, and we are demanding their immediate suspension.
“As a forum of law-abiding Nigerians, we sincerely believe that we have given the NMDPRA enough time to pay us our money in bulk and clear the bridging claims.
“But given their constant refusal, we have therefore decided to liaise with our sister organizations, the PTD and NARTO, to take collective action in due course.
“As members of IPMAN, it is important to state that we also own a sizable number of petroleum tankers driven by the PTD, and we may be forced to withdraw our tankers from loading petroleum products in a bid to enforce the immediate payment of our bridging and NTA claims.
“We hereby call on the Federal Government of Nigeria, headed by President Bola Tinubu, to fully intervene in this prolonged dispute between the Depot Chairmen of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, and the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA.
“We will not hesitate to take immediate action if our demands are not met, beginning Monday, February 24, 2025.
“We call on our members nationwide to remain resolute and law-abiding as we wait for our demands to be met and addressed by the NMDPRA.”
