The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned it will shut down operations if the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) fails to pay the outstanding N100 billion in bridging claims. The Gombe Depot Chairman of IPMAN, Alhaji Abdul Ibrahim, made this known during a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
“One year after our initial request for payment of the over N100 billion owed to our members in bridging claims, the NMDPRA has ignored our demand,” he stated.
Ibrahim also noted that members of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) had raised similar concerns, linking the resolution of IPMAN’s bridging claims to the potential suspension of their strike action. He further emphasized that NMDPRA had promised to clear the bridging claims within 40 days, but that timeframe had long passed without any payment.
“The nine northern depots, including Jos, Gusau, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri, are completely grounded due to this unresolved debt. The money owed is rightfully ours, deducted at the point of payment for products to settle our bridging allowances,” he said.
He also highlighted the ongoing financial and operational struggles faced by IPMAN members, including business closures, staff layoffs, and bank takeovers, which he attributed to the NMDPRA’s failure to make the payments.
Ibrahim announced that IPMAN would give NMDPRA seven days to settle the claims, warning that failure to do so would lead to collective action with their sister organizations, the Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) and NARTO.
“As law-abiding citizens, we have given NMDPRA ample time to settle the claims. However, due to their continuous refusal, we are now considering taking coordinated action with PTD and NARTO. As IPMAN members, we also own a significant number of PTD tankers, and we may be forced to withdraw our tankers from loading petroleum products,” he stated.
Additionally, Ibrahim expressed concern over the imposition of excessive levies by NMDPRA on its members, which he described as unconstitutional and anti-developmental. He called for the immediate suspension of these levies.
The IPMAN Chairman appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing dispute between IPMAN and NMDPRA to resolve the matter swiftly.
