By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

The Calabar unit of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Cross River and Akwa Ibom State governments to rehabilitate the collapsed Calabar-Itu- or face a complete shutdown of petroleum operations across both states.

In a letter dated March 2, 2026, signed by IPMAN Calabar Chairman Mr. Robert Obi and Secretary Mr. Victor Nnanna, the association stated that at the end of the ultimatum period, all tank farms, depots, and filling stations in Cross River and Akwa Ibom would cease operations if no concrete intervention occurs.

The marketers described the highway’s deplorable state as a major barrier to their business, leading to frequent tanker accidents, loss of lives and property, and huge financial setbacks.

They noted that the road serves not only Cross River and Akwa Ibom but also neighbouring states including Abia, Ebonyi, and Enugu.

“Most of our members from Akwa Ibom and other nearby states of Abia, Ebonyi, and Enugu are no longer in the oil business owing to the unexpected colossal financial losses incurred as a result of the state of the road,” the letter read.

It further stated that numerous petroleum tanker trucks loading from Calabar depots, including those of the NNPCL and private tank farms, have been destroyed in accidents, costing millions of naira.

This has caused a sharp decline in patronage, with external marketers avoiding Calabar for fear of losing trucks and investments.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), through its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch in the Port Harcourt zone, has also raised the alarm, describing the highway as a “time bomb” for drivers transporting petroleum products nationwide.

In a letter signed by Zonal Chairman Mr. Joseph Okafor and Zonal Secretary Dr. Kalu Eke, the union said the road’s poor condition has, for decades, disrupted economic activities across Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, and Enugu States.

It has led to the loss of drivers’ lives, substantial revenue declines for the union, and reduced government income from the sector.

Both IPMAN and NUPENG called for urgent government action to restore the highway and safeguard the critical petroleum supply chain in the region.