Fuel Scarcity Looms -IPMAN

There are hints that a major petrol crisis may hit the country shortly, despite persisting queues at filling stations in Abuja and other areas around the country.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, however, insisted on Tuesday that the crisis may be avoided if the government persuades the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, to pay N500 billion in bridging claims to its members.

Bashir Danmalam, chairman of the IPMAN Kano state chapter, said in Kano on Tuesday that the delay of payment of claims for the past nine months had driven many of its members out of business and harmed the sector owing to the high cost of diesel.

As a result, he remarked, “The resurfacing of fuel queues in Abuja is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of petroleum scarcity.”

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

Source: vanguardngr.com