IPMAN threatens nationwide strike over N100bn unpaid claims

From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has threatened to shut down depots across the country in the next seven days if the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) fails to pay its members N100 billion in bridging and National Transportation Allowance (NTA) claims.

In a communiqué issued after a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the Chairman of the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum, Yahaya Alhassan, expressed deep frustration over what he described as deliberate neglect by the NMDPRA, despite repeated promises to settle the debt.

According to Alhassan, the NMDPRA had assured marketers at a stakeholders’ meeting, held on the eve of the last strike declared by the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), that the outstanding claims would be paid within 40 days.

He lamented, however, that months have passed without any payment, leaving marketers in financial distress.

The chairman said the prolonged delay has paralysed operations at nine northern depots, including Jos, Gusau, Minna, Suleja, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola, and Maiduguri.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it is imperative to state again that this debt being owed us is money belonging to marketers, and which was deducted from us at the point of payments for products, in order to settle our bridging allowances.

“We have also continued to record deaths of our members, closure of their businesses, retrenchment of staff, and the takeover of their business premises by commercial banks, all arising from this refusal of the NMDPRA to pay us our money.

“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.

“If they do not pay our money in the next seven working days, we are going to withdraw our services all over the country. All of us are going to withdraw.

“And we are going to withdraw our tanks. And at the same time, we are going to block all transportation,” he declared.

Another worrisome development, according to Alhassan, is the NMDPRA’s imposition of several abnormal levies on its members.

“Chief amongst them is the imposition of a 5% commission accruable to them at the sale of any petrol station outlet in Nigeria.

“As IPMAN members, we go the extra mile to renovate our outlets occasionally, to meet international best practices.

“However, the NMDPRA has also made this very difficult for us, as they have also subjected our members to paying bizarre levies whenever we deem it fit to renovate our petrol outlets.

“These are just a few of the many distressing levies they have forced on us; these are not only anti-developmental, they are also unconstitutional, and we are demanding their immediate suspension,” he said.

IPMAN called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene fully in the prolonged dispute, while urging its members to remain resolute and law-abiding as they wait for their demands to be met and addressed by the NMDPRA.