FG says no plans to hike pump price, summons Baru
Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), has assured Nigerians that the federal government is not contemplating any form of hike in the price of petroleum products.
Recall that Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, had said the government had concluded plans to jerk up the price by “at least N45” per litre.
But Mustapha said there has never been a time when government deliberated on hike in pump price.
He spoke while handing over ceremony the mantle of leadership of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to Danladi Ibrahim, at the authority’s headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi state.
Until his appointment, Mustapha was the managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of NIWA.
The SGF attributed the scarcity to “greed” on the part of the marketers who created “artificial shortfall to make profits”.
Mustapha lamented the attitude of some Nigerians who derive pleasure from inflicting pains on people.
He said it is unfair and ungodly for marketers to take advantage of the rush by the people to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
“I can assure the people that a day or two after the Yuletide, the queue will ease out. The marketers created the scarcity but we have engaged all the relevant stakeholders and we are confident that it will soon normalise,” he said.
“We are not thinking about increasing the pump price. We have not discussed it and we will not increase the price.”
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari summoned Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to the presidential villa in Abuja.
The presidency disclosed this in a message posted on its Twitter handle, saying Buhari is very concerned about the hardship which Nigerians have been subjected to in the last three weeks.
Fuel queues at filling stations have compounded traffic woes in major parts of the country. While black marketers are smiling to the bank, many motorists have spent nights at filling stations.
NNPC has blamed the situation on marketers, giving repeated assurances that normalcy would soon be restored.