The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has cancelled their pre-subsidy removal agreement.
According to the IPMAN Chairman, Suleja branch, Yahaya Alhassan, the marketers had outstanding tickets or Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) aka petrol, which the NNPC did not deliver before the subsidy removal.
Alhassan said the outstanding PMS had been paid for by its members during the subsidy regime, but after President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the subsidy, the NNPC decided to renegotiate the payments on the outstanding fuel yet to be delivered.
He disclosed that the NNPC intends to sell the PMS the marketers already paid for at a new rate and asked to refund the previous payments made during the subsidy regime.
“For the outstanding tickets, up till now they have not attended to us. What they (NNPCL) are even saying now is that they (marketers) should put VAT for the ticket.
“This was the money we paid before subsidy was removed. We got this information after Sallah, which is this week,” the IPMAN chairman reportedly said.
He said the old petrol tickets NNPC owed the marketers are being confused with the outstanding bridging claims owed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Alhassan stated that the bridging claim is money paid to the oil marketers to ensure the price of fuel is similar across all filling stations.
“I want the Federal Government to know that bridging claim is different from subsidy. We are supporting the removal of subsidy. IPMAN members are not among those who benefited from subsidy.
“The bridging claim is our own money. Any money that any marketers pays, the transport money is there, which we are contributing,” Alhassan explained.
He complained that the Federal government is confusing both the old petrol tickets and the outstanding bridging claims, hence the need to make the difference clear to the president.
“We have to explain to the President that is the only way we can solve that problem,” Alhassan further said.