FG To Shut Down Filling Stations Selling Petrol Above N617/Litre
Yinka Olajoyetan, Lagos
The Federal Government has vowed to shut down filling stations selling petrol above N568-N617/litre, labeling the action as unnecessary profiteering and exploitation of Nigerians.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday, Spokesman of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), George Ene-Ita said that private depot owners are selling petrol to independent marketers at exorbitant rates, leading to high pump prices.
“Our depot people see a different price because we ask them to publish the prices at the depots every day and it is not N850/litre. Our field agents at the depots give us a different figure,” he said.
Responding to reports of independent marketers in Lagos and other states selling petrol at exorbitant prices of N900 to N1,000 per litre, Ene-Ita, said the NMDPRA will take action against such outlets.
“We will shut down any filling station found selling above the approved price if we catch them. NNPC sets the ex-depot price for off-takers, and we work together to determine the margins. There’s no justification for prices to be that high,” the NMDPRA Spokesman warned
