Uche Usim, Abuja
Amid growing rumours of a foretold bleak Christmas due to an imminent hike in the pump price of petrol, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on Tuesday, pacified agitated Nigerians with the assurance that such a move was not on the cards.
NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in a statement said: “Contrary to the misinformation trending in the social media, the Federal Government has no plan to review prices of white products either downwards or upwards”.
Ughamadu added that despite that fact that NNPC, since October, 2017, had been the sole importer of PMS into the country as the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) could not import due to the Open Market Price being much higher than the N145/litre official selling price, the government has no plan to review the market prices of products either upwards or downwards now.
READ ALSO: NIDAS re-enters global oil shipping market
He cautioned rumour-mongers to be wary of the impacts their ignoble act could cause on prices of petroleum products especially petrol as the festive period draws near, adding that if not checked, the insinuation of unsubstantiated price review can lead to artificial scarcity, hoarding of products by consumers which in turn may result in unwarranted queues and suffering of Nigerians at fuel stations.
The NNPC spokesman disclosed that members of the public should report any station which sells PMS above the N145 recommended price to the offices of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) nationwide, saying the Department is authorised to monitor and regulate the Industry’s activities.
Ughamadu said the recent statement of the NNPC GMD, Dr. Maikanti Baru, that the corporation had 37 days stock of PMS subsists, stressing that the NNPC’s helmsman has mapped out strategies to ensure that Nigerians have a hitch-free festive period.