From Uche Usim, Abuja
With petrol scarcity biting harder and defying administered solutions, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has advised the federal government to revoke the licenses of dubious marketers causing discomfort by sabotaging the system and preying on hapless consumers.
The union in a statement noted that while the parameters imputed into the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) template have changed because of some economic vagaries like exchange rate fluctuation, vessel hiring cost, and cost of diesel, among others, there was no sufficient justification for petrol to sell at the highly inflated price of N650/litre in some jurisdictions, thereby subjecting the masses to further difficulties.
“Even though we have some good marketers who tend to play by the rules, others who are overbearing have deployed methods of creating artificial scarcities in other to hike the price of the product uncontrollably as the prices of the product now sell between N185 to N650 depending on your location and outlet.
“From data available to us from our members, there are over 30 days of PMS sufficiency in the country; hence there is no basis for the current scarcity and hardship that Nigerians are being subjected to.
“We hereby call on the management of NMDPRA to compel all marketers and retailers to make the products available at the approved price. They should immediately mobilise all their staff in various locations across the country to monitor compliance and anyone found wanting should have their license revoked to serve as a deterrent.
“Should this collusion go on unchecked, we will not hesitate to partner with other stakeholders in ensuring that Nigerians are not further exploited,” the statement added.