Amid ongoing fuel scarcity issues, over 9,000 oil marketers are at risk of losing their operating licenses unless the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) agrees to extend the current deadline for license renewals.
The Editor Nigeria reports that the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has urgently appealed to the NNPCL and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to postpone the licensing deadline to July and release 9,000 already processed licenses.
The appeal was made public through a press release signed by IPMAN’s National Public Relations Officer, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, on Thursday in Abuja.
The association highlighted the challenges faced by marketers in renewing their licenses due to the NMDPRA’s slow processing pace, as previously lamented in a statement last Sunday.
Originally, the NNPCL set a deadline of April 15, 2024, for marketers to renew their licenses.
Failure to comply would result in marketers being unable to access their customer express portals for purchasing petroleum products from NNPC Retail Limited.
IPMAN’s request for an extension is aimed at preventing further disruptions in fuel supply and mitigating panic buying amid the current scarcity.
In a statement, IPMAN explained, “The latest information reaching us from the NMDPRA states that they have already processed more than 9,000 out of the 15,000 licenses expected to be processed for our members within this period. We urge the management of the NMDPRA and NNPC Retail Limited to release the processed licenses and extend the deadline for delisting of marketers from their express portals.”
In a subsequent telephone interview with Punch Newspaper, Chief Ukadike emphasized the critical nature of their request, stating, “The release is to appeal to the NNPCL and NMDPRA to please extend the final deadline to July so that it would enable them to reconcile the licenses so that they will not be unduly shut out of the portal, and that is IPMAN’s appeal.”
Responding to IPMAN’s plea, the NMDPRA South-West Regional Coordinator, Ayo Cardoso, indicated that the regulatory authority would consider the request.
“We will look into their request,” Cardoso stated during a conversation with our correspondent.
The situation remains tense as IPMAN has also threatened to shut down 30,000 stations operated by its members nationwide if the Federal Government fails to address the N200 billion debt owed to marketers, a problem compounded by delayed payments of bridging claims since September 2022.
This was disclosed in a recent communique issued in Abuja by Yahaya Alhassan, Chairman of IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum.
Meanwhile, the fuel crisis continues to severely impact daily life, with commercial drivers in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, reportedly keeping vigil at fuel stations to secure scarce Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).
