The Northern Independent Petroleum Marketers Forum (NIPMF) threatened to embark on industrial action over unpaid claims to their members by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The NIPMF Chairman, Musa Maikifi, told newsmen in Kano on Monday that the NMDPRA’s claim of paying N74 billion within the past seven months to marketers, with northern marketers getting N42 billion of bridging claims, was not true.

Maikifi, however, called on the authorities involved to settle their unpaid claims from now to the end of July 2022, saying the marketers were out of capital to transport petroleum to the northern part of the country.

He said: “The claim that Mr Farouk Ahmad made on the 29th of last month that he has been paying Independent Petroleum Marketers their bridging claims up to the amount of 42 billion which is not true. Couple of months ago, he paid some selected marketers huge amount of money. Maybe he was referring to those marketers.

“Our general marketers comprising nine depots under my leadership; Kano, Kaduna, Gusau, Suleja, Minna, Maiduguri, Gombe, Yola and, Jos, none of us collected such kind of money.

“All the money we are using to lift the product are now with him, so, in the next few months, we won’t be able to buy the little product people are seeing now. We can’t even afford to buy it because all the money is now under his custody.

“We have given him up to the end of this month, if he refuse to pay us our money, we are going to take an action that will not be good for him, the north and Nigeria at large.

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“Before we receive our money in a month, two or three months highest, but now it’s more than a year. The last payment we received was May last year he paid.

“Rejection of payment is seriously disturbing our marketers. If nothing comes up by the end of this month, we are going to collaborate with our mother association – IPMAN to make sure that we take serious action that will not be good for him and everybody.”

The NMDPRA had in a statement countered allegations made by Independent Petroleum Marketers Association Nigeria (IPMAN), Suleja Branch on fuel scarcity as a result of non-payment of bridging claims.

It said: “bridging payment is an ongoing process which is carried out after due verification exercise by the Authority and Marketers.

“So far, the Authority paid N71.233,712.991 bridging claims and another N2.736.179.950.84 freight differentials to the Marketers as at 6th June. 2022.

“A breakdown of payment made to Marketers is as follows: Major Marketers (MOMAN) received N9.958.777.487.24, IPMAN members were paid N42.301.923.616.96. NNPC Retails N6,661,459.118.61 while DAPPMAN members were paid N12.303.195.651.57, these translate to a total of N73.969.892.941.84.”

It added that it was disheartening that despite the payments and increase of N10 bridging cost, IPMAN could accuse the NMDPRA of insensitivity.

The Star