Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to immediately mobilise all its staff in various locations across the country to monitor the distribution and strict compliance with the approved pump price of petrol and to revoke the licences of defaulting marketers to serve as a deterrent.
Gatekeepers News reports that the association also empathised with Nigerians on the hardship they currently face with the scarcity and drastic hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, (PMS).
PENGASSAN, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, urged the Management of NMDPRA to compel all marketers and retailers to make the products available at the approved price.
“The national leadership of PENGASSAN has been following up with our members in NNPC Trading Limited who are responsible for assigning the products to marketers and our teeming members from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority,
“While we understand that the parameters imputed into the old PPPRA and now NMDPRA template have since changed because of some economic vagaries such as exchange rate fluctuation, vessel hiring cost and cost of AGO, amongst others, there is no sufficient justification for PMS (Petrol) to be selling for a such highly inflated price, thereby subjecting the masses to further difficulties,” it said.
The union added that even though some good marketers tend to play by the rules, others have deployed methods of creating artificial scarcity in order to hike the price of the product uncontrollably, with the product now selling between N185 to N650 depending on location and outlet.
It added: “From data available to us from our members, there are over 30 days PMS sufficiency in the country; hence there is no basis for the current scarcity and hardship that Nigerians are being subjected to.
“We hereby call on the management of NMDPRA to compel all marketers and retailers to make the products available at the approved price. They should immediately mobilize all their staff in various locations across the country to monitor compliance and anyone found wanting, should have their license revoked to serve as a deterrent, ” adding that if nothing is done urgently to address the situation and lessen the hardship faced by Nigerians, it would take drastic action.
“Should this collusion go on unchecked, we will not hesitate to partner with other stakeholders in ensuring that Nigerians are not further exploited. A stitch in time saves nine,” it warned.
