9,000 Oil Entrepreneurs Could Lose Licences, IPMAN Seeks FG’s intervention

9,000 Oil Entrepreneurs Could Lose Licences, IPMAN Seeks FG’s intervention

As Nigerians battle gasoline shortage, over 9,000 oil entrepreneurs are on the verge of shedding their working licences.

Consequently, the Impartial Petroleum Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria (IPMAN) is urging the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPCL) to increase its last deadline for licensing renewal to July.

It additionally appealed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority to launch 9,000 already processed licences to its members.

The affiliation made the request identified in a launch signed by the Nationwide Public Relations Officer, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, on Thursday in Abuja.

Recall that IPMAN in a press release on Sunday lamented the gradual tempo of entrepreneurs’ licence renewal by the NMDPRA.

The NNPCL had positioned a deadline of April 15, 2024, for entrepreneurs to resume their licences or danger closure to entry their buyer specific portals for the acquisition of petroleum merchandise from NNPC Retail Restricted.

However IPMAN requested an extension, saying the extension would allow entrepreneurs to reconcile their licenses and cut back panic shopping for by members of the general public aggravating the current shortage of petroleum merchandise.

The assertion learn, “The Impartial Petroleum Entrepreneurs Affiliation of Nigeria are abreast with present developments within the downstream sector of our petroleum business and want to state that the newest info reaching us from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority states that they’ve already processed greater than 9,000 out of the 15,000 licenses they’re anticipated to course of for our members inside this era.

“Entrepreneurs are fast-tracking the processing of their licenses to keep away from the approaching closure of their buyer specific portals for buy of petroleum merchandise from NNPC Retail Restricted.

“We, subsequently, use this chance to enchantment to the administration of the NMDPRA and NNPC Retail Restricted to respectively launch the processed licenses and lengthen the deadline for delisting of entrepreneurs from their specific portals. If our request is granted, it can ease the strain of panic shopping for by members of the general public so as to not irritate the current shortage of petroleum merchandise.”

Giving additional readability in a phone interview, Ukadike mentioned, “The discharge is to enchantment to the NNPCL and NMPDRA to please lengthen the ultimate deadline to July in order that it will allow them to reconcile the licences in order that they won’t be unduly shut out off the portal and that’s IPMAN enchantment.”