FG, oil marketers agree on settlement of unpaid claims

The Federal Government and petroleum marketers yesterday agreed on settlement of outstanding claims and assured that operations at all depots and sales will continue until further notice.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by officials of the federal government and representatives of the petroleum marketers in Abuja.

A statement from Paul Ella Abechi, Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance on Media & Communications, said this happened at the meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.

The statement said the meeting had in attendance senior government officials from Federal Ministry of Finance, the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) in attendance.

Also in attendance on the part of the petroleum marketers are 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).

While expressing satisfaction overthearrangementbeingmade by the Federal Government to settle their claims, the petroleum marketers assured the members of 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 engagement of the two sides will continue on Monday, December 10, 2018.”