Success Nwogu 
Nigerians may witness another fuel scarcity as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), yesterday, threatened to go on strike over alleged non-payment of about N100 billion bridging claims to its members by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
This is as the National President, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, in an interview with New Telegraph said he was hopeful of a resolution of the impasse between his members and the Lagos State Government.
In a communique yesterday by the Depot Chairman of IPMAN, they lamented that they had been frustrated by the alleged prolonged delay in payment, despite repeated assurances from the Authority.
The oil marketers further accused the NMDPRA of imposing “abnormal levies” on them, including 5% commission on petrol station sales.
Chairman of IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum, Yahaya Alhassan, who signed the communique, claimed that the NMDPRA had made a series of pledges to pay them but had allegedly continuously reneged.
He decried that the unpaid claims had forced nine major depots in the northern region – Jos, Gusau, Minna, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri – to close operations with the attendant economic hardship on the people and sufferings on Nigerians in the affected areas.
He said: “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, NARTO listed this same IPMAN bridging claims as part of their demands before the strike action would be called off.
“The NMDPRA promised to offset the bridging claims in 40 days even in the presence of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the DG DSS, Mr. Adeola Ajayi.
However, 40 days have today become months with no hope of our payment.” Speaking further he said: “When has the NMDPRA turned itself into real estate agents; collecting a commission on sales of Retail Petrol Outlets?”
While calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, Alhassan threatened that, if the matter was not resolved, his members would join the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and stop their services. “We call on President Bola Tinubu to fully intervene in these prolonged disputes…
We will not hesitate to immediately take actions in due course if our demands are not met immediately beginning from today Monday 24th February 2025.”
Efforts to get the response of NMDPRA proved abortive as it has yet to respond as of press time. Recall that concerns of impending fuel scarcity rose as some NARTO members had stopped loading at the Dangote Refinery since Saturday.
Othman said about 20 trucks of his members were arrested by officials of the Lagos State Government.
But Lagos State had said that it was sanitising traffic along the road to the Dangote Refinery. The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Wale Musa, assured that the state government would not allow tanker drivers to turn the corridor to another gridlock anomaly that formerly characterised the Apapa Wharf Road.
