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LequteMan
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Nigeria - The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, has said it won't resume fuel importation in the country unless the federal government settle their remaining susidy claims.
According to PUNCH, the last meeting the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had with the marketers in Abuja on May 4 ended in a deadlock as both parties disagreed on the actual subsidy arrears due to the marketers. The government had put the subsidy debt at N131bn, while the marketers insisted on N200.2bn.
The Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Mr. Thomas Olawore, said with the situation on the ground, it was unlikely that the marketers would continue to import petrol unless the subsidy debt was settled.
“We have huge outstanding claims, huge loans on us are still unpaid and our creditors are also not confident about doing business with us. We, therefore, are unable to bring in fresh products,” he explained.
Olawore said as of February, the debt owed marketers was N200.2bn; but pointed that the amount had since increased.
“The Minister of Finance is saying we should verify what has already been verified by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency. The minister still went ahead to set up a committee to verify the disparity. Her office, the Debt Management Office, the Central Bank of Nigeria and others form part of the committee.
“The CBN advised on the particular rate that was used by the PPPRA. We, therefore, reject the call for another verification. We believe this suffering is getting too much.”
Olawore, however, confirmed that members of MOMAN had received their own share of the N154bn paid by the government in April.
#Nigeria
According to PUNCH, the last meeting the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had with the marketers in Abuja on May 4 ended in a deadlock as both parties disagreed on the actual subsidy arrears due to the marketers. The government had put the subsidy debt at N131bn, while the marketers insisted on N200.2bn.
The Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Mr. Thomas Olawore, said with the situation on the ground, it was unlikely that the marketers would continue to import petrol unless the subsidy debt was settled.
“We have huge outstanding claims, huge loans on us are still unpaid and our creditors are also not confident about doing business with us. We, therefore, are unable to bring in fresh products,” he explained.
Olawore said as of February, the debt owed marketers was N200.2bn; but pointed that the amount had since increased.
“The Minister of Finance is saying we should verify what has already been verified by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency. The minister still went ahead to set up a committee to verify the disparity. Her office, the Debt Management Office, the Central Bank of Nigeria and others form part of the committee.
“The CBN advised on the particular rate that was used by the PPPRA. We, therefore, reject the call for another verification. We believe this suffering is getting too much.”
Olawore, however, confirmed that members of MOMAN had received their own share of the N154bn paid by the government in April.
#Nigeria
