The Guardian
IPMAN disagrees with NMDPRA over N74bn payment to marketers
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Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), yesterday, said it had suspended plans to sell its onshore oil assets in Nigeria, in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling, which said it had to wait for the outcome of an appeal over a 2019 oil spill.
Managing Director of SPDC and Chairman of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, in a statement, said: “The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) complies with the law, including any court orders, and respects the judiciary and its role in upholding the rule of law.
“Recent media reports regarding the June 16 Supreme Court proceedings does not accurately reflect SPDC’s response to the order. SPDC will continue to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to maintain the status quo. We have a strong belief in the merits of our case, which we are vigorously defending.”
In a separate statement, the London-based company said: “Shell welcomes the Nigerian Supreme Court’s decision to hear the appeal of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in this case. Until the outcome of SPDC’s appeal, Shell will not progress the divestment of its interest in SPDC.”
MEANWHILE, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) have returned to the trenches over an alleged payment of N74 billion in transport claims.
While the management of NMDPRA declared it had remitted the huge sum into the coffers of independent marketers, IPMAN is threatening legal action unless the downstream authority substantiates its claim.
The management of NMDPRA had, on Wednesday, July 29, 2022, declared it paid N74 billion to IPMAN in the past seven months.
In a counter reaction, Chairman of IPMAN (Northern chapter), Alhaji Bashir Danmalam, debunked NMDPRA’s claims, insisting IPMAN has not received such amount of money as branded.
Danmalam, who disclosed IPMAN’s stand while addressing journalists in Kano, said the marketers would be left with no option but to seek redress…
