As Nigerians battle fuel scarcity, over 9,000 oil marketers are on the verge of losing their operating licenses.
As a result, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria is urging the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to extend its final deadline for licensing renewal to July.
It also appealed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority to release 9,000 already processed licenses to its members.
The association made the request known in a release signed by the National Public Relations Officer, Chief Chinedu Ukadike in Abuja.
Recall that IPMAN in a statement on Sunday lamented the slow pace of marketers’ license renewal by the NMDPRA.
The NNPCL had earlier placed a deadline of April 15, 2024, for marketers to renew their licenses or risk closure to access their customer express portals for the purchase of petroleum products from NNPC Retail Limited.
However, IPMAN requested an extension, saying the extension would enable marketers to reconcile their licenses and reduce panic buying by members of the public aggravating the present scarcity of petroleum products.