Filling stations shut in Suleja as IPMAN begins strike

Fuel scarcity hit Suleja town, Niger State, on Monday as the Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) embarked on strike.

IPMAN alleged that the strike was a result of extortion and demand for daily transaction records from filling stations by the DPR officials.

However, the Head of Public Affairs of DPR, Paul Osu, in a statement said the request  of daily stocks record by the DPR was to enable it provide accurate petroleum products consumption data for the country and not extortion.

“We want to state for the records that request for daily stock of products’ supplied is a statutory regulatory requirement for any retail outlet license holder, which enables DPR to provide accurate petroleum products consumption data for the country.

“This regulatory oversight is at no cost to the retail outlets,” he added.

When Daily Trust went round, all the filling stations in Suleija were under lock and key.

Also, some transporters and other fuel users lamented that the strike took them unawares, forcing them to buy from alternative sources.

Malam Muhammad Ali, a commercial transporter said, “I was lucky to have a little fuel in my car so travelled to a neighbouring town and refilled my tank.”

Another motorist, Adamu, said he bought from the black market at a higher price before he travelled to Tafa town in Kaduna State and filled his tank at a petroleum station.

A source in the Suleja depot who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said the Department of the Petroleum Resources DPR at its headquarters in Abuja, succeeded in convincing the group not to include Abuja in the action, with the assurance of looking into their complaint on Tuesday.