IPMAN suspends strike as NNPC wades in

The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, on Monday announced the suspension of a scheduled nationwide strike following a meeting with the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru in Abuja.

Chairman of the IPMAN Committee on FOREX Intervention, Products Sourcing and Distribution, Alhaji Musa Felande, said the meeting with the GMD where peace was brokered also addressed all the pending issues concerning the Association.

Alhaji Felande said the meeting put to rest earlier grievances on issues relating to products supply, equalization fund, access to forex and pricing of products which are of interest to IPMAN.

“This is a very remarkable day for IPMAN and the country. We want to let the public know today that IPMAN is now one single group and we are determined to continue to support the government. We are calling on all our IPMAN members to go on with the usual supply and distribution of products in their respective stations and retail outlets across the country,’’ Felande appealed.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Alhaji Zarma Mustapha a member of the committee who said that the decision of the Dr. Baru led NNPC Management to intervene on the issue of bulk purchase agreement had gone a long way in soothing the frayed nerves of some IPMAN members across the country.

He said IPMAN, whose members “own 19, 000 out of the 25, 000 registered fuel outlets across the country”, had resolved not only to work with the NNPC in ensuring fuel availability but also to do so under a united IPMAN.

Dr. Emmanuel Ihedigbo, who is also a member of IPMAN Committee on FOREX Intervention, Products Sourcing and Distribution, noted that cessation of hostilities between the hitherto Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo and Chief Lawson Obasi led factions was a good omen for the downstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry.