FG, Oil Marketers Sign Agreement on Unpaid Subsidy Claims

FG, Oil Marketers Sign Agreement on  Unpaid Subsidy Claims

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

Top federal government officials and oil marketers met in Abuja Thursday and agreed on the settlement of outstanding claims, with an assurance that operations at all depots and petrol stations will continue until further notice.

At the end of the meeting, the marketers expressed satisfaction with the arrangements being made by the government to settle their claims.

The marketers had last Sunday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government to pay them an outstanding N800 billion subsidy claims.

A statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Finance and signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Paul Ella Abechi, said Thursday’s agreement was contained in a statement jointly signed by officials of the federal government and representatives of the petroleum marketers in Abuja.

The meeting, which was held at the Federal Ministry of Finance was attended by senior government officials from the finance ministry, the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

Also in attendance on the part of the marketers were representatives from the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).

According to the statement, while expressing satisfaction over the arrangement being made by the government to settle their claims, the marketers assured the public of availability of petroleum products.

“The discussions showed that the government has considered the concerns and is reviewing the initial process approved by the government for the settlement. We consider that this shows the government’s responsiveness to the need for the claims to be settled in a timely manner.

“We hereby wish to reassure the members of the public on the availability of PMS. We urge the public not to panic, as there will be no fuel scarcity,” the statement added

“All the parties involved will continue with further engagement on December 10, 2018,” the statement added.

Related Articles