IPMAN Suspends Strike After Talks with Akwa Ibom Petroleum Committee

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By Asuquo Edem

UYO — The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Akwa Ibom State has suspended its strike action less than 24 hours after it began, following a meeting with the state’s Petroleum Products Monitoring Committee (PPMC).

The strike, which started yesterday, was triggered by the impoundment of IPMAN trucks in Mbo Local Government Area in 2024. The industrial action led to fuel scarcity across the state, with supplies limited to major marketers such as NNPC, AP, Rain Oil, and A.A. Rano.

During a closed-door dialogue at Luton Park Hotels, Uyo, on Thursday, the PPMC, led by its chairman, Hon. Godwin Ekpo, met with IPMAN executives to broker peace.

Speaking after the meeting, IPMAN State Chairman, Comrade Francis Udoeyen, said the decision to suspend the strike was taken “in the interest of peace and stability” and to ease the burden on the public. He added that the association would continue engaging with relevant authorities to resolve the long-standing dispute over the seized trucks.

Udoeyen commended the PPMC for its intervention in restoring normalcy to fuel distribution in the state.

Also present at the meeting, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Sunny James, lauded IPMAN’s decision to return to work and pledged the NLC’s support for peaceful conflict resolution. He stressed that dialogue remains the best path to addressing issues affecting workers and the public.

With the suspension of the strike, petroleum product supply in Akwa Ibom is expected to return to normal in the coming days.

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