Oil marketers suspend shutdown threat for 5 days until FG pays subsidy, other payments

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has suspended an earlier directive to its member depots to shut down all loading operations until the Federal Government paid all its monetary claims.

In an earlier statement signed by the association's Executive Secretary, Olufemi Adewole, on Saturday, December 8, 2018, DAPPMAN accused the government of failing to pay outstanding debts which has made it unable to pay staff salaries beyond November 30.

He noted that staff members were disengaged to avoid not getting paid for work done, a situation he noted meant member depots should no longer load petroleum products across the country.

However, in another statement signed by Adewole early on Monday, December 10, he said the intervention of relevant stakeholders has compelled the association to suspend the order while the government figures out how to solve the issues by Friday, December 14.

The statement read, "However, following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians including the National Assembly as represented by the Senate Committee of Petroleum Downstream and constructive engagement of the Federal Government team by the labour unions most affected by the disengagement of our personnel, namely, PENGASSAN, NUPENG NARTO, and the PTD, DAPPMAN has resolved to recall its disengaged personnel for 5 days to give the FG's team the opportunity to conclude its process of paying marketers the full outstanding of N800 billion with the first trench being the amount already approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

"The association has acted in good faith to avoid unnecessary hardship which could befall Nigerians during the yuletide season and we hope that government would make good its promise to see that those issues are resolved by Friday, December 14, 2018, as promised.

"To this end, our disengaged personnel would be recalled on Monday, December 10 and considering the reactivation time or hitherto shut down system, all depots with fuel stock should be fully active same day.

"DAPPMAN depots are therefore advised to commence loading operations immediately and await further notification in respect of our long overdue payment."

The Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Downstream, Henry Ikem-Obih, said on Saturday that oil marketers would be paid N236 billion out of N348 billion approved by the National Assembly as outstanding subsidy claims on Friday.

The outstanding fees include subsidy payments (to few members), interest and forex differentials with summation calculated up to December 31, 2018. The association noted that it had to pay its staff over the past months through 'bank facilities at outrageous interest rates'.