The Anambra State Government has decided to meet with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria to address the N900 million in debt claim owed to contractors who supplied diesel for streetlight generators.
This is in response to (IPMAN)’s letter of appeal, Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Community Affairs, announced that the government will meet with IPMAN’s leadership to reconcile the figures for settlement NAN news said.
Nwabunwanne assured that the government had noted IPMAN’s complaint and was committed to protecting their businesses.
However, he attributed the delay in payment to discrepancies in the contractors’ claims. He emphasized that the forthcoming meeting would facilitate the reconciliation of these discrepancies and pave the way for resolution.
- ”I have invited the leadership of IPMAN for a meeting early next week for discussion, it is clear that they do not have the correct information on our dealings with the contractors, there are discrepancies.
- “So, the meeting will enable us to reconcile these discrepancies and progress to the next step.
- “The Gov. Chukwuma Soludo administration is a business-friendly one and will do all that is possible to support and help them stay in business,” he said.
Backstory
IPMAN had in the letter begged Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to pay members who were contractors to the Anambra government for the diesel they supplied to power streetlight generators in March and April 2022. IPMAN said the debt was to the tune of N900,664,805.
It revealed that the debt issue dated back to 2022 when the Anambra State government owed approximately 70 of its members.
The association’s letter, titled “Request for Debt Payment of N900,664,805.00 Owed Our Members For Diesel Supplied and Services Rendered in Respect of Street Lights,” outlined the specific timeline of the debt and the circumstances surrounding it.
According to IPMAN, its plea to Governor Soludo is aimed at alleviating the financial strain on its affected members, as they have been struggling to keep their businesses afloat.
Many of these marketers have faced liquidity crises, with their trading capital tied up with the government or loans obtained from banks becoming increasingly difficult to repay.
