Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) says it has stopped importation of petroleum into the country because of government’s failure to pay subsidy claims to its members.
Executive Secretary of the association Obafemi Lawore told our correspondent that the Federal Government owes his members several billions of naira since January this year.
He refused to say how much in figure the debt is. The Federal government said it has ordered the payment of subsidy claims to marketers. The government is currently investigating subsidy payments irregularities.
“We have not been importing fuel because government has not paid us since January. If we don’t have money there is no how we can continue to import product,” Lawore said.
He was, however, silent on how his members got supply of product since the suspension of importation.
Asked whether MOMAN will embark on strike in order to force government to pay the subsidy claims, Lawore said the association will continue to hope that its financial indebtedness will be settled by its debtor.
MOMAN members consist of Conoil Plc, Forte Oil (formerly African Petroleum Plc), Mobil Oil Plc, MRS Plc, Oando Plc and Total Plc
Last week, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON) embarked on a three-day strike to protest the debt government owed them under the Petroleum Support Fund.
Lawore also spoke on the scarcity of kerosene in the country and said his members could not rescue the situation because it is not profitable to import the product.
He said: “It is not profitable to import kerosene because the landing cost of the product is N149.50 per litre. Government expects us to sell at the domestic rate of N50 per litre whereas subsidy on kerosene is N110 per litre. So, who will bear this loss?
“It is only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that can bring in the product profitably and distribute to other petroleum marketers.”
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