Under the auspices of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum (DCF), oil marketers threatened to go on strike yesterday if the N100 billion that the federal government owes them in “bridging claims” was not paid.

In a statement released in Abuja by its chairman, Yahaya Alhassan, the forum threatened to stop the loading and distribution of petroleum products across the country if the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) did not pay within the allotted seven days.

Alhasan said:

If NMDPRA does not pay our money within seven working days, we are going to withdraw our services all over the country and we are going to withdraw our tanks from loading and discharging. At the same time, we are going to lock all our stations across Nigeria.

Recalling that the regulator pledged to pay on the eve of the most recent strike action announced by the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), he claims that the marketers are now angry that the NMDPRA has still ignored the organization a year after the demand for payment.

He added:

We are extremely frustrated that one year after our last demand as a forum, requesting the payment of over N100 billion owed our members in bridging and claims by the NMDPRA, the management of the NMDPRA has deliberately ignored our request, even after making clear promises to pay us.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.