The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to pay contractors N900 million for delivering Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) to power streetlights before they were turned off.
On Friday, Mr Chinedu Anyaso, Chairman of the IPMAN, Enugu Depot Community in charge of Anambra, Ebony, and Enugu States, made the announcement in Awka.
Anyaso stated that the contractor had followed the government’s directive to surrender all generators in their possession in order to recoup their debts when the contracts were canceled.
He stated that state marketers may be forced to halt operations until the state government pays them.
He said that the marketers were heavily indebted to their lenders and that their firms were suffering as a result of their trapped capital.
Anyaso stated that IPMAN had written to the Anambra government to advise it that they had met the prerequisites for paying the marketers.
According to a copy of the letter made accessible to journalists, the IPMAN general assembly is eagerly awaiting the Anambra government’s answer to their demand.
The letter, titled
“Request For Debt Payment of N900,664,805.00 owed our members for Diesel supplied and Services Rendered in Respect Of Street Lights”, was addressed to the ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs.
“We refer to your response on the above subject, dated Nov. 3 on the report of some vendors that are yet to return some of Government-owned generator sets allotted to them for the street lights projects.
“Be informed, Sir, that all the generators have been fully returned to the Government.
“We, therefore, humbly request that the debt payments owed our members for diesel supplied and services rendered be treated and paid as promised,” it said. (NAN)