The Northern Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria, IPMAN says the Federal Government through the Petroleum Equalization Fund are yet to settle about 50 billion naira bridging entitlement for over nine months, a development that forced many of them out of the business.
They also expressed concerns that failure to settle their claims might lead to scarcity of fuel in the North as the majority of its members have run out of capital, and as a result could not buy and transport fuel to the region.
Chairman of the Forum Musa Maikifi made their position known in a statement after a meeting with members from the nine depots across the Northern states in Kano. He explained that for the past nine months they had made unsuccessful efforts to get their money paid.
Maikifi stated that they formed the Northern Forum to speak with one voice, adding that the leadership crisis rocking the IPMAN.
On his part, the Forum’s Secretary Zarma Mustapha said the bridging claims were supposed to have been paid within two weeks but for months now they were not settled. He added that over 3000 marketers from the north were involved.
