Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association (DAPPMA) on Sunday directed its members to shutdown services as from 12 midnight of December 9, 2018.
A directive by the the Executive Secretary, Mr. Olufemi Adewole sent to the members via a letter, said that the association’s efforts to make the Federal Government pay its subsidy induced debts were not successful.
He said that the association “took the bold step to stop the financial hemorrhage of its members by the painful disengagement of its loyal workforce after three years of engaging the Federal Government in its efforts to secure the payment of all subsidy induced debts owed marketers, efforts which till date have not yielded the desired results hence another approach.”
The association said that it duly notified the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Debt Management Office and the presidency of its challenges of pay staff salaries beyond last month, unless it receives any help with the payment of all its outstanding debts such as subsidy, interest, forex differentials with summation calculated up to December 31st, 2018.
Adewole said that as a result of the notice, the association was invited to meetings .
His words: “Further talks to which we are usually invited, which now seem to be their response to follow ups on these debts, never consented to our requests for full cash payment of these debts hence the regrettable decision we have had to take to let go our loyal staff who have sustained through bank facilities at outrageous interest rates. “
Continuing, the Executive Secretary said that “premised on our inability pay December 2018 salaries and to avoid owing staff for work done without any hope of pay, it is hereby agreed that, since our staffs have been disengaged, all DAPPMAN member Depots are not in a position to operate hence will shut down all down all loading operations at midnight, Sunday 9th December, 2018 until Federal Government pays our calculated claims: the remaining subsidy (to few members), forex differential interest incurred up to 31st December, 2018.
“This decision is binding on all members of the association and full compliance is expected every member company of the association. The association shall revert in the same vein with any other directives as might be deemed necessary.”
