The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Western Zone, has announced a total shutdown of operations starting Monday, September 8, 2025, in a show of solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
The shutdown is a protest against the looming threat to the job security of petroleum tanker drivers and the perceived monopolisation of the downstream oil sector by MRS Energy Ltd and the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company.
In a unanimous resolution passed over the weekend, IPMAN expressed grave concerns over Dangote Refinery’s entry into the petrol distribution business, describing it as a direct threat to the survival of its members’ enterprises across the South West.
The resolution made available to journalists in Ibadan was signed by Basorun Joseph Oyewole Akanni, who is the Chairman, and Mr. Adeleke Adeola Adeoye, the Acting Secretary, IPMAN Western Zone.
“This move jeopardises the livelihoods of petroleum truck drivers and motor boys, while crippling thousands of IPMAN members’ investments,” the IPMAN Western Zone leadership stated.
The association highlighted that such actions violate the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which explicitly prohibits any single company from refining crude oil and simultaneously engaging in product distribution. IPMAN termed this as a flagrant disregard for existing laws governing the downstream sector.
“This is a collective decision by all zonal council members, officers, depot chairmen, and secretaries. No member is to open their stations for operations from Monday,” the statement added.
IPMAN also called on the Federal Government to intervene swiftly to uphold the provisions of the PIA and protect the interests of independent petroleum marketers and workers in the sector.
