The Federal government has debunked the reports that the
Ministry of Petroleum has ordered NNPCL to sell fuel at N1000, above the
approved pump price.
A report that went viral in the media claimed that the
Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, asked NNPC to select fuel
at N1000.
In a swift response, however, the federal government, in a
statement on Tuesday, signed by Nnemaka Okafor, the Special Adviser on Media
and Communications to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, made available to
newsmen, refuted the report, noting that it was concocted and ill-conceived to
sow discord and confusion in the oil industry.
According to Nnemaka, the federal government never
interfered with petroleum pricing with NNPCL, let alone give directives for
price increments.
She said, “The Federal Government is compelled to address
the outright falsehoods currently being circulated on social media, which claim
that the Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken
Lokpobiri, has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)
to inflate petroleum prices above the approved pump price.”
“We categorically condemn these claims as baseless,
malicious, and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent.”
“We challenge anyone in possession of any evidence, be it
written documents, audio, or video recordings-that supports these fabrications
to make it public.”
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