Members of the Borno State branch of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) began a three-day warning strike yesterday. The warning strike was to protest the non-payment of members’ outstanding haulage claims.
IPMAN’s spokesman in the state, Alhaji Abdulkadir Musa said the warning strike complied with a resolution reached by IPMAN branches in nine states in the North.
Members in the affected states were being owed more than N70 billion since 2019, he said.
He added that members would meet tomorrow at the expiration of the warning strike to decide on the next line of action.
“We members of IPMAN have decided to embark on a three-day withdrawal of services at depots as warning action.
“For years, we have been following and lobbying the management of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) regarding our unsettled haulage claims to no avail.
“Note that since our agitation began, only less than five per cent of our claims have been settled. No payment has been made about claims submitted between 2019 and 2021,” Musa said.
He added that payment for haulage of petroleum products must, henceforth, be made within one month.
“Failure to do so will lead to indefinite suspension of our services in all depots and filling stations across the Northern parts of the country,” Musa stated.