 Petrol, scarcity and long queues are fueling stations returned to streets of Abu-Jer yesterday. The alleged indebtedness of the federal government has crippled marketer's effective procurement and distribution capacity. It was learned last night, according to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Ipman. The government was owing more than 100 billion Naira in overdue bridging payment. The alleged that 100 billion Naira debt due to procure petrol by deformed petroleum equalization fund now Nigerian midstream and downstream petroleum regulatory authority has not been paid despite persistent demand. We're now being joined by Chinadu Uqa Dikei, the PRO Ipman. Good morning, Mr. Chinadu Uqa Dikei, it's good to have you join us this morning. Yeah, good morning. How are you? I'm very well, thank you so much. So let's get straight to the conversation. Now, apart from the 100 billion Naira debt, what else is the bone of contention for the marketers? Okay. You know that products are being breached from Lagos, Warren and Potapots to Abu-Jer because Abu-Jer, especially at the Symmetra depot, there is no product. The Symmetra depot has not been breached, it's out, because it cannot be filled with product through the pipelines. Also you are very aware that Nigeria is feeding its nation to the vessels and the waterways. So NNPC is using their PQs, private depot, tank farms, and other refinery facilities and depot facilities to be able to send petroleum products, especially to the northern areas, where there is no waterway. So you know during this period of time, there is this economic aspect of the path, which is jammed because marketers are not getting their payment immediately. And also the high cost of diesel. Diesel is at almost 670 Naira Naira per liter. And the cost effect of that makes marketers very, very worried about breaching this product because at the end of the day, you will find out that the money you spend will be very, very much higher than the money you will receive as best payment. And the social and religious aspect of this is that, you know, there is Salah too. So most of these drivers have gone to Salah and I also know that any woman from now, they will come back and assume work effectively because most of the truck drivers are predominant Muslims, or at least 70% of them are predominant Muslims, don't include us in the notes. So they must have to respect that festival. So it is that what truncated the supply chain a little. It is not that it's no product. NNPCS have confirmed that they have enough sufficient products for proper distribution. So these are the little things are listed in these little hiccups, but I also want to advise the Nigerians, especially those in Abuja, not to indulge in panic buying because any moment from now, this issue will be face-on and will end this week. When full operations restart, and when fair government has also promised that they are going to look into the claims of marketers and they are able to settle source to enable marketers to go back and start transporting as usual. But I also want to argue that it is so important the fair government should look into a pipeline so that we will not be able to resettle these kind of excuses about PFEF. If I apply plus, I know that I also believe that the issue of this PFEF will not arise or this good amount of PFEF indebtedness to marketers will not have a rise because marketers would have been loaded from the GDZ and which is very, very close to the area of dispatch and distribution to individuals. Okay. Thank you. All right. So, but is there a way to reach an agreement with the federal government on instrumental payment? Well, you know, it is a gradual process because this debt is being processed. And I also believe that it is up to eight months, six months that some of these credit claims have been lying there in over one year. Some of these credit claims have been lying there in PFEF. And the market has really indebted. That was why we had the last meeting in CWC in Apuja. Our national president, Alaji Depouame, was suggesting that especially those in the oil and gas stakeholders should have what we call an oil and gas plan or energy plan to be able to enable us to assess fund easing and continue in business even while our funds are with the NMBs. Because of this which a lot of funds are in NMBs, we go to commercial banks to go and borrow money. I know the cost of borrowing. And at the end of the day, a lot of multiple checklists are being charged. And you will find that we are now from importer to platform. Transporters and marketers are almost going out of business. The high cost of wear and tear of these vehicles, repairing them and all the rest of them is really heavy on marketers. So I believe that governments should come down and sit down especially with IPMAD, NATO, PTD and other stakeholders to be able to find a lasting solutions to issue of this PFEF. All right, just before we let you go now, do you think there's a permanent solution to the perennial back and forth on fuel? Well, the permanent solution is like what I have obtained before. The repairing of our refineries, because when these refineries are being repaired, especially in the Potaco to Warring and Kaduna refineries, when these refineries are being repaired, you also find that the petroleum products will be produced around that area. That PTZ, we are disappointed because they are statistically located to be able to service the whole of the nation. So if our refineries are upstream, the Kaduna refineries will be taken care of in Abuja and all those boats, the middle and the north part of the country. Why the refineries will also overlap to the north and the middle aspect of the North and the Midwestern zone and the Western zone altogether? Why the Tako refineries are already servicing the South side and South East? The federal government designed this thing knowing the nature of the country because if we in Nigeria are producing petroleum products and we are heavily dependent on the production of petroleum products, not only do these products come through the process and it's only in the waterways, legals and water that we can be able to access petroleum products via the waterways. So taking it to the north is very, very cumbersome. But if our refineries are working and the pipelines are put in place, you will find that a different product will get to Yolanda, because Nigeria have pipelines and these pipelines, some of them, can be replaced, a kind of restructuring of some of these pipelines and ensure that these pipelines are put in place to be able to ensure that truck drivers will no longer fly in a very long distance. They will just go within the activities which is not even close to like 3 to 4 kilometers or 200 kilometers to get this product and quickly expand them to the finish stations. We have to let you go now. Thank you so much for being part of the news this morning. We do appreciate your time and of course we wish the association and the country the best.