Despite the claim by the Federal Government that N156 billion was released on Thursday to oil marketers to facilitate the quick resolution of the current fuel crisis, the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), has said normal lifting of fuel will not resume till their members’ accounts are duly credited by the banks.

As at 4.35 p.m. on Thursday, the Executive Secretary, Depot & Petroleum Products Marketers Association(DAPPMA), Odufemi Adewole, told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview that none of its members and their counterparts in the Major Oil Marketers Association(MOMAN), had confirmed receiving any payment.

“The money government said it was paying to marketers has not yet hit our accounts. So, there is little we can do about the situation,” Mr, Adewole said. “The money the Minister of Finance promised to pay us last February did not get into our hands till about four or five weeks later.

“If all members are not getting the money today, it means we have to wait till Monday. But, the truth is that nobody is going to call off the strike till the money is paid,” he added.

With Friday declared work-free day to mark workers’ day, it means consumers would have to grapple with terrible fuel supply crisis till next week when the payment may hit the marketers’ accounts.

Since February, Mr. Adewole said both DAPPMA and MOMAN have been writing letters to the Minister of Finance, who promised to pay both foreign exchange differentials, the interest on loans and outstanding subsidy in three tranches.

However, the DAPPMA scribe said despite the Minister’s assurances, nothing seems to be happening, adding that no marketer was willing to take the risk of calling off the strike only for the government to fail to pay the money.

Mr. Adewole regretted that the situation was allowed to degenerate to the present level, pointing out that although the government was owing a total of N256 billion, it said it was now paying N156 billion, without any mention about the balance of N100 billion.

“Who is going to pay that N100 billion for subsidy?” he asked, adding that although media reports have confirmed there was no provision in the budget for subsidy this year, the marketers have since this year ordered fresh cargoes of petroleum products.

The additional cargoes since the beginning of the year, he said, amounted to over N40 billion in subsidy, while nobody has talked about what would happen to the cargoes already ordered that are yet to arrive the country.

But, even as the money was still being awaited by the marketers, the Finance Minister’s spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, said the Ministry had prioritised the payment of about N156 billion to the marketers in spite of revenue constraints to government.

The payment, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, consisted two components, made up of the cash backing of the N100 billion IOU paid to the marketers in March, while the N56 billion was interest payments for the marketers, according to the PPPRA template.

“The N156 billion is the latest in a series of significant payments made to the oil marketers within the last five months, including over N300 billion in two instalments in December last year and N31 billion in interest differentials recently, totalling over N500 billion paid to marketers within the past five months.

Although the fall in oil prices significantly reduced national revenues, the Minister noted that the government still prioritized payments to marketers to help remove the pains Nigerians were suffering as a result of fuel scarcity.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/182310-fuel-crisis-marketers-deny-receiving-payment-from-govt-say-strike-continues.html

Jonathan should stop punishing Nigerians with fuel scarcity because he woefully lost the presidential election.

Haba!!

Ok

Jonathan's government..scamming Nigerians since 2009.

Imagine the combination of GEJ, Okonjo, Diezani and co-scammers for another 4years.. WE ARE FINISHED

God pass una. My trekking mode activated afterall exercise is good for the body.

GEJ is punishing Nigerians for not voting for him yet some people still call him hero. GEJ is a wicked man

Raiders:
GEJ is punishing Nigerians for not voting for him yet some people still call him hero. GEJ is a wicked man

No mind them.. I still wonder how we survived GEJ's years of misrule.

GEJ my hero!!! Fayose my role model!!!

Abeg naaa. Make Una pity d masses

But that wahala woman say she don give them cheque Na. May be the cheque dey clearing. I hope say the fg account dey funded o. Because Dem go fit don withdraw am do election.

JackBaueress1:
Jonathan should stop punishing Nigerians with fuel scarcity because he woefully lost the presidential election.

Haba!!

You are just pathetic.He has lost the election and has conceded defeat.Would you please give the president the honour and respect of leaving the office peacefully.Thank you.

#BabaOneChance and His boys at work.
Raising false alarm since 1700.

buhari marketers


he (buhari) must have told them to deny receiving any thing from FG to black mail GEJ



#babaonechance

SMH

why is the govt of GEJ manifesting their stupidity to Nigerians,just yesterday i heard on the news that they have been settled and evrything will return to normal.Gosh*sighs*

this is madness!!!

Too late.

IT WILL SOON BE OVER.

Maybe Gej has packed all the remaining cash to Otuoke,over to GEJ bandwagon to come and defend this one

vicadex07:
GEJ my hero!!! Fayose my role model!!!

Go sleep jor...

Kai
It is very sad to witness the man hours being wasted in fuel queues. In abuja u see fuel queues almost 2 km long. Commuters are frustrated, transport fares are high up to the roof. The only people smiling are black marketers , cashing in on peoples desperation to mak qucik money

I felt really ashamed to see a foreign national queue for fuel in. A country dat is ranked 7th largest oil producer

This fuel scarcity is d bad parting gift from this present govt and an unwelcome development for the in coming government.

Most nigerians are patiently watching the president elect cuz one bad move on his part cud end dis his lovey dovey honeymoon he is currently enjoying with the nigerian populace

GEJ is a godddamn liar

Federal government, government of 419

Abeg, scrap this devil called fuel subsidy jare. Thieves!

so if we had continued with the clueless one, this is what we would be expecting for the next 4 years.

No one understands this country anymore.

These marketers are useless how much do they want i wonder if they even pay tax imagine the manipulate prices and Diezani with her big eyeballs is seeing all these why cant she regulate the petrol market properly NNPC should be privatize