Unpaid Subsidy Claims Still Cause For Light Scarcity Of Fuel— DAPPMA

DESPITE the intervention by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources in 7^th Assembly, there seems to be scarcity of petroleum products in the country, as most filling stations sell the product at N100 per litre as against the official N87.

Explaining why the scarcity still linger, the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association (DAPPMA) yesterday said that unpaid subsidy claims owed by the Federal Government has continue to hinder importation of petroleum products into the country.

According to the Executive Secretary of the Association, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, banks were not ready to give loans to members of the association again, stressing that the few marketers that had the products were loading while the others were looking forward to when government would settle them.

He stated that the marketers were trying their best to ensure that scarcity of products was reduced to minimal level, but stressed that the only solution was for the association to resume importation.

Adewole urged the government to expedite action on the payment so that the marketers would commence importation fully and reduce the hardship associated with the fuel scarcity.

He commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) efforts in seeing that the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited would start refining crude oil in July.

The oil marketers had on June 4 said the Federal Government still owed them more than N291 billion subsidy claims and denied that they were saboteurs.