Worst Fuel Scarcity Looms – Marketers Alert

Nigerians have been asked to prepare for ‘the worst’ fuel Scarcity soon.

The warning was issued by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) through its chairman in Kano State, Bashir Danmalam, while addressing a news conference on Monday.

To avoid this, the petrol marketers association asked the Federal Government to prevail on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to pay its members their outstanding bridging claims amounting to over N500 billion.

He said the failure of the NMDPRA to pay the the bridging claims, otherwise known as transportation claims, had forced many of its members out of business as they couldn’t transport the commodity due to high cost of diesel.

He lamented that non-payment of the claims by NMDPRA for over eight months had crippled the businesses of many of their members as they couldn’t transport the commodity even though it was available.

“NMDPRA is responsible for the payment of bridging claims otherwise known as transportation claims

“For failure of the NMDPRA to pay the outstanding claims for about nine months, many marketers cannot transport the product because their funds are not being paid. Despite the high price of diesel, they manage to supply the petroleum products nationwide.

“The resurfacing of fuel queues in Abuja is just a tip of the iceberg with regard to the petroleum scarcity.

“Out of 100 per cent, only five per cent of the marketers can supply the petroleum products because of the failure of NMDPRA to pay them.”