The Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) has urged airlines and air travellers not to panic over reports of aviation fuel scarcity as its members have enough product in their stock to meet the industry’s needs.

A major crisis was averted, weekend, in Lagos State, when a group of oil marketers protested inhuman acts against them by owners of tank farms in Kirikiri, Apapa area of the state, after they had allegedly paid over N400 million to three oil companies for the supply of the commodity.

Mr Mohammed Sidi, Director, Weights and Measures Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, says that oil dealers have been cheating Nigerians of N198,500 per truck sold.

The federal government has proposed a meeting with the independent oil marketers as one of the measures aimed at averting fuel crisis this Yuletide season.

The Federal Government, Saturday, said it would pay oil marketers N236 billion next Friday, being first tranche of the outstanding N348 billion subsidy claims owed members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association, DAPPMA.

Prospects of another round of fuel scarcity in the country emerged Saturday as oil marketers said they were yet to reach an agreement with the Federal Government on the N800 billion subsidy arrears.

Oil marketers have issued a seven-day ultimatum, demanding the Federal Government to settle their outstanding debts, totaling N800 billion.

THE Debt Management Office, DMO, has summoned a meeting of oil marketers to resolve their outstanding debts which would be paid through promissory notes.

ABUJA- THE Senate, Wednesday expressed its disappointment over Federal government’s inability to settle the outstanding subsidy payment that now stands at over N863 billion, with tendency to go beyond that if not paid.

The trail of two oil marketers, Yusuf Kwande and Osahon Asemota and five companies before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja over allegation of N8.4 million fraud was yesterday stalled due to the absence of all the defendants.

Oil marketers have appealed to the Federal Government to pay them over N650 billion subsidy arrears to reverse the gale of retrenchment sweeping across the sector and sustain their operations.
The marketers under the aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) made the appeal in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday.

Former Finance Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has alleged that there was a plan by oil importers and marketers to confine her to a wheelchair and force her out of office during the time she served under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Wednesday, raised an alarm that some unscrupulous marketers are using some NNPC Retail outlets to defraud unsuspecting motorist through under-dispensing of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol.

Oil marketers have commenced a reduction of their workforce due to their inability to pay staff salaries.

Oil marketers, under the aegis of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, yesterday, said it has suspended its plan to lay off its workers following the N650 billion debt owed it by the Federal Government.