The Federal Government said on Thursday January 2nd 2014 that it had no plans to increase the pump price of petrol debunking rumours of an expected price hike from the prevalent N97 per liter.
The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, said in a statement that all its offices nationwide had stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all products retail outlets to ensure and enforce compliance, stressing that all defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.
The statement reads:
The DPR wishes to inform the general public that the Federal Government of Nigeria has not and does not intend to increase petroleum product prices contrary to speculations by some members of the public.
Consequently, all petroleum product marketers are hereby advised to sell at government approved prices and desist from hoarding, thereby causing artificial scarcity and hardship to consumers.
The DPR wishes to reiterate that there is adequate supply of petroleum products nationwide.
Meanwhile, all DPR offices nationwide have stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all products retail outlets to ensure and enforce compliance. All defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.”
The Federal Government also stated that there is no plan to sell any of the country’s refineries.
Dr Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said that if selling the refineries was the basis for the plan by the junior oil workers to embark on strike, then the action would be fruitless.
Abati said: “Government is not going to sell any refineries. There is no such plan, and there is no presidential approval for such. Nobody, not even the Minister of Petroleum has powers to sell any government’s property.”
He went on to say that if the proposed strike by NUPENG and PENGASSAN was over allegations of a planned sell of refineries, then they should sheathe their swords.
