IPMAN Threatens Legal Action over Purported Payment of N74bn to Marketers

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has threatened to drag the management of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to court over the latter’s purported claims on the payment of N74 billion transport claims to marketers.

The Chairman IPMAN Northern Chapter, Alhaji Bashir Danmalam gave the threat while addressing journalists in in Kano.

Danmalam, who was reacting to the purported payment, said the claim was not true as their members were not paid unless the payment was made to “ghost marketers”.

The IPMAN chairman, therefore challenged the management of the NMDPRA to publish the names of the marketers who benefited from the purported payment to prove their claims.

“I’m surprised to hear the story on payment of the N74 billion claims by the Chief Executive of the agency, Faruk Ahmed Maishanu. Either he was misinformed or he does not know what is happening in the organisation.

“Who and who were paid the money? I know some of the marketers who are being owed N10 billion each.”

 “So for him to say that the agency paid N74 billion to marketers is not true.

“So, we can only agree with the said payment if the money was paid to “ghost marketers” or if it is part of the rejected waybill,” Danmalam said.

He noted that the inability of the agency to settle the marketers’ transport claims amounting to about N500 billion was responsible for the persistent fuel shortage being experienced in the country.

Danmalam said based on the investigation conducted by IPMAN, it was discovered that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) had recently released over N70 billion to the agency to pay marketers which had yet to be paid.

He lamented that before now, their members were being paid their claims within one or two months as against the current system or mode of payment.

NMDPRA had on Wednesday, 29th July 2022, said It had paid marketers N74 billion within the past seven months.