The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) has
suspended its earlier directive to commence shutdown of depots across
the country and stop loading petroleum products effective from midnight
of Sunday.
The directive to suspend the action was conveyed in a
statement issued around 1.20am on Monday by DAPPMA’s Executive
Secretary, Mr Olufemi Adewole, in Lagos.
The association had
issued a shut-down directive to its members following the continuing
indebtedness of the Federal Government to petroleum marketers.
“However,
following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians, including the
National Assembly as represented by the Senate Committee of Petroleum
Downstream and constructive engagement of the Federal Government team by
the labour unions most affected by the disengagement of our personnel,
namely, PENGASSAN, NUPENG NARTO,PTD,and DAPPMA.
“The union has
resolved to recall its disengaged personnel for 5-days to give the FG’s
team the opportunity to conclude its process of paying marketers the
full outstanding of N800 billion with the first trench being the amount
already approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
“The
association has acted in good faith to avoid unnecessary hardship which
could befall Nigerians during the yuletide season and we hope that
government would make good its promise to see that those issues are
resolved by Friday, Dec., 14, 2018 as promised.
“To this, end,
our disengaged personnel would be recalled on Monday, Dec. 10 and
considering the reactivation time or hitherto shut down system, all
depots with fuel stock should be fully active same day,’’ the statement
said.
The statement said further that the conclusion of the debts
payment would curtail the continuing wastage of public funds as
interest accruing on the over N800 billion debt.
“DAPPMA depots
are therefore advised to commence loading operations immediately and
await further notification in respect of our long overdue payment.
DAPPAMA
had on early on Sunday directed its members to shut down all loading
operations by midnight, adding that oil marketers had disengaged
employees due to their inability to pay salaries.
It said that
the Association took a bold step to stop the financial haemorrhaging of
its members by the painful disengagement of its loyal workers after over
three years of engaging with the government in the efforts to secure
the payment of all subsidy induced debt owed marketers.
According
to DAPPMA, to avoid owing staff without any hope of pay, it is hereby
agreed that since all our staff have been disengaged, all DAPPMAN member
depot are not in a position to operate hence will shut down all loading
at midnight
DAPPMA said that the decision of government to
settle N236 billion out of the outstanding N800 subsidy arrears was not
acceptable to DAPPMA members, leading to last week’s Thursday meeting
which ended in a deadlock.
They explained that the decision of
government to pay the N236 billion through promissory notes was equally
rejected by the oil marketers.
‘‘As the name suggest, promissory
note is a payment instrument that is post dated. Based on this when you
approach the banks with the instrument, you don’t get the actual value
on it.
“About 30 per cent is knocked off because Government will
be making the payment at a later date which ties down the bank’s
capital’’’ he said.
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