The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has given the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) a seven-day deadline to settle outstanding bridging claims amounting to N100 billion.
The forum, in a communiqué issued in Abuja by its Chairman, Yahaya Alhassan, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government. It warned that if the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) fails to pay within the given timeframe, marketers will suspend the loading and distribution of petroleum products across the country.
The ultimatum comes after the NMDPRA allegedly failed to settle the debt, despite assurances given 40 days ago during a meeting with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. If unresolved, the situation could lead to a nationwide scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit nationwide. The outstanding claims, which date back to 2024, consist of funds deducted from marketers’ product payments intended for bridging allowances.
Alhassan stated, “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.”
He added that “We are extremely frustrated that one year after our last demand as a forum, requesting the payment of over N100bn owed to our members in bridging and NTA claims by the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, 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 listed this same IPMAN bridging claim as part of their demands before the strike action would be called off.”
The IPMAN official confirmed that fuel depots across several northern cities, including Jos, Gusau, Minna, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri, have been completely shut down due to the unresolved debt.
IPMAN has strongly opposed the five percent levy imposed by NMDPRA on petrol station sales which they described as unconstitutional and detrimental to industry growth. The association clarified that the outstanding funds are not government allocations but deductions from marketers’ payments meant for bridging allowances.
It further stressed that the prolonged non-payment of these debts has had severe consequences, including business closures, staff layoffs, bank takeovers of premises, and even loss of lives among affected members.
