FG won't raise fuel price, says NNPC
The Federal Government will not hike the price of fuel in the New Year, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured.
The corporation also said the restoration of the vandalised Ije-Ododo pipeline is expected to ensure that Nigeria has 32 days sufficiency of petroleum products.
The Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, the NNPC, Mr. Fidel Pepple, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, dispelled rumour of price increase in the New Year, which has spurred motorists and other users to embark on panic buying. According to Pepple, there is no plan to increase pump price of fuel.
To buttress his point, he said that provision was made in the 2013 Budget for continued subsidy regime into the year.
He blamed the vandalised pipeline and public holidays for the prevailing fuel queues across the country.
The corporation also hinted that the pumping of Premium Motor Spirit, (Petrol) had resumed in earnest at depots and tank farms in the System 2B from Atlas-Cove to Ilorin, Kwara State.
He assured Nigerians and motorists that with the restoration of the Ije-Ododo pipeline and the NNPC System 2b pipeline, normalcy has been restored in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the length and breadth of the country.
Pepple described media reports that fuel scarcity and queues in some parts of the country might last beyond the new year as mischievous, noting that the corporation still maintains zero tolerance on fuel scarcity and fuel queues at filling stations.
He called on marketers to avoid the nefarious diversion of petroleum products to black marketers, adding that punitive actions would be meted out to those caught. He further enjoined marketers of petroleum products to team up with the NNPC to ensure sustained supply and distribution of products into the New Year.
He also urged Nigerians to desist from panic buying, stressing that there was no truth in the ongoing rumours that there would be an increase in the pump price of fuel in January.