N50bn Unpaid Claims: Fuel scarcity looms in the North-Marketers warn

Northern Independent Petroleum Marketers have cried out to the federal government over the non-payment of N50 billion bridging claim allegedly being owed them by the defunct Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF).

The marketers, through their platform, Northern Independent Petroleum Marketers Forum (NIPMF), expressed worry that the failure to settle their claims might lead to scarcity of fuel in the North as majority of them were running out of fund, hence could not buy and transport fuel to the region.

The Chairman of the forum, Alhaji Musa Yahaya Maikifi, said for the past nine month they had committed effort to get their money paid without success.

“If this continues in this way, many of us will have to close down our fuel stations. This will add to the fuel scarcity in the region because the marketers are running out of fund” he said.

“The federal government couldn’t settle our claims of over fifty billion naira. We met the authority involved and they promised to pay us but yet they haven’t. So that is why we are here to plead with them to pay us our unsettled claims so that we can continue our business smoothly,” he lamented.

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According to him they formed the Northern Independent Petroleum Marketers Forum to always have one voice that will speak on their behalf, adding the leadership crisis rocking the IPMAN has also added to their burden which their forum is ready to address.

On his part, the secretary of the forum, Alhaji Zarma Mustapha, said the bridging claim is supposed to be paid within two weeks but for months now they are not settled, and that over 3000 marketers from the north are involved.

“One thing that will surprise you is that this money did not belong to government. It is generated from the consumers that patronize fuel from us marketers and the NNPC gathered the money and then pay us through PEF. But still they hold on to our money.

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“Presently you can see that there is fuel scarcity here and there in the north, and if we enter January-February without our claims settled, I can assure you that we can’t do it, we can’t do the business.”

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the State Minister of Petroleum to intervene into the matter to help them sustain their business.