FG Has Not Paid Us N74bn – Oil Marketers Warn Of Fuel Scarcity, Queues

Nigerian Oil marketers comprise faulted the Federal Authorities over claims that it has paid the 12 months of bridging claims being owed operators within the downstream oil sector.

Kumornews understands that an announcement credited to the Chief Govt of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, had earlier claimed that the govt. has paid N74bn as bridging claims to grease marketers for the transportation of petroleum merchandise across the nation in seven months.

In accordance with the file, the sum of N71,233,712,991 bridging claims and one other N2,736,179,950.84 freight differentials was once paid to marketers as of June 6, 2022.

The assertion was once issued in Abuja on Wednesday while the govt. was once reacting to the allegations made by IPMAN, Suleja Branch, that the shortage of petroleum merchandise in Nigeria was once attributable to the non-cost of bridging claims.

Reacting, then but again, to the federal govt’s claim, dealers below the aegis of the Neutral Petroleum Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria, in an announcement on Thursday, described the acknowledged cost as counterfeit.

The association which controls about 70 per cent of filling stations across the nation countered the suppose of the NMDPRA on the payments of bridging claims.

Talking with journalists in Abuja the day past, the Secretary, Abuja-Suleja IPMAN, Mohammed Shuaibu berated Ahmed’s claim, no longer easy him to fabricate public the title of those he paid the acknowledged cash to.

The IPMAN official acknowledged, “He (Ahmed) alleged he has paid marketers N74bn lovely? We now comprise got accused him of sabotaging our efforts by no longer paying us our bridging claims and that’s the truth.

“Since he claims to comprise paid, we’re no longer arguing but we scenario him to near aid out and title the marketers that he paid. Let him show from A to Z. Let him bring out the paperwork. Must you vow you’ve paid our members N74bn, and we are announcing we’ve no longer been paid, then near out and show to the public.

“Anyway, by the level we down-tool completely inner the following one week, he’ll show to the public and the presidency how the teach received to that stage, because this one goes to result within the mummy of all queues.”

Shuaibu added, “You are owing a marketer, to illustrate, N30m or N20m, you paid him N150,000 or N200,000 and as well you now scamper on air to insist you’ve paid the marketer. Is there any justification to that perform?”

He argued that the indebtedness to marketers was once manner beyond N50bn, including that IPMAN had been elevating the terror because a glorious deal of its members were shutting down operations attributable to their inability to continue in industry.

“By the time we down-tool, this could well even be massive since the nine depots within the North and other marketers are in actuality itching to near aid out with their comprise claims. They are willing to be half of in harmony and more than doubtless by that time the govt. will know if we are joking or no longer,” Shuaibu acknowledged.