The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Shettima, has raised concerns over unpaid fuel bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Shettima made this known during a courtesy visit to the FCT Director of the Department of State Services, Usman Dauda, on Tuesday. While commending President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He urged the government to address the outstanding payments to marketers.
He also acknowledged the efforts of the Director-General of the Department of DSS, Adeola Ajayi, for his collaboration with IPMAN, which has enabled the association to convert its demands into tangible benefits for its members.
He further commended the DSS for facilitating the partial payment of the outstanding bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
“The National President, however, informed the gathering that there were still more debts yet unpaid by the NMDPRA,” the release partly read.
An official of IPMAN, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, disclosed that the NMDPRA had paid N50 billion out of the N200 billion owed.
Bridging claims are payments made by the government to oil marketers to offset the cost of transporting petroleum products from depots to different parts of the country. This system ensures uniform fuel pricing nationwide, regardless of varying logistics costs.
IPMAN specifically stated that the NMDPRA had consistently failed to settle the debt, which has been accumulating since September 2022.
However, the intervention of the DSS Director-General, Adeola Ajayi, helped broker peace and led to the partial payment of the outstanding amount.
The Director of Security, DSS FCT Command, Usman Dauda, expressed appreciation for IPMAN’s courtesy visit and acknowledged the association’s role as a critical stakeholder in promoting national welfare and contributing to the sustainable livelihood of Nigerians.
