The South-East Zone of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has asked its members to disregard a strike directive allegedly issued by Prince Bobby Dick in connection with the ongoing dispute between the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Dangote Group.
Speaking in Enugu on Monday, Hon. Chukwudi Ezinwa, National Ex-Officio of IPMAN representing the South-East, dismissed Dick’s authority, stressing that he is neither the zonal chairman of IPMAN nor empowered to call a strike.
“Our zonal chairman, Larry Nworu, passed away three weeks ago and is yet to be buried. Prince Dick is an impostor, and the national body does not recognize him,” Ezinwa said.
He clarified that IPMAN remains neutral in the NUPENG-Dangote face-off and emphasized that only the association’s national president, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, is empowered to speak on such matters.
According to Ezinwa, “IPMAN is an organized body with procedures. The strike call is baseless. NUPENG and Dangote should resolve their issues through dialogue. Nigerians are already facing hardship, and we cannot add to their pain.”
He further noted that with the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, dialogue and negotiations remain the proper approach to resolving industry disputes rather than resorting to strikes.
“We encourage marketers to keep their stations open and continue doing business. The downstream sector has been deregulated, and we must adapt to that reality,” he added.
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