We were never on strike- Depot Owners

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers
Association (DAPPMA) have denied ever
embarking on any shut-down of their depots
and facilities.
In a statement on Tuesday the Executive
Secretary of DAPPMA, Mr. Olufemi Adewole,
said that contrary to the notion that they had
shut down their depots, it was the Petroleum
Tanker Drivers (PTD) arm of the Nigerian
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers
(NUPENG) and the National Association of Road
Transport Owners (NARTO), which transports
petroleum products that embarked on the strike.
He said the strike was caused by complaints of
not being paid by marketers.
Adewole said:
“We have maintained that we would sell
and load all petroleum products available
to us even as delays in the payments of our
reimbursement have continued to
impede and adversely affect our
operations. The suspension in loading
in the last few days has been due to the
strike embarked upon by PTD-NUPENG
and NARTO. These two bodies had
refused to load out/lift petroleum
products for distribution from our
depots,”
He described the allegation by the Managing
Director of Capital Oil, Mr. Ifeanyi Ubah that
DAPPMA member companies embarked on a
strike as completely false.
According to him, Capital Oil and Gas
Industries Limited does not participate in the
petroleum subsidy scheme having been
disqualified from the PSF scheme’ by the
government regulatory agency hence they do not
import petrol.
“The company is not owed a kobo under
the PSF scheme as they cannot make any
claim hence they do not feel the impact
of non-payment of subsidy
reimbursements, instead, the company
stores petroleum products for NNPC/PPMC
under a through arrangement as do a few
other members of our association,”
“We reiterate that since the unions
embarked on this action, we have been
dialoguing with them to seek amicable
ways of resolving this logjam bearing in
mind its harrowing and debilitating
impact on the Nigerian public and the
masses,”
He stated that at the Senate Petroleum
Committee’s sitting last Monday, that the
situation between depot owners/marketers and
the Federal Ministry of Finance and all other
stakeholders have been resolved.