Following public outcry over the rising cost of petrol
in Bayelsa State, the Department of
Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday insisted that it will shut down filling
stations in the state selling the product above the official pump price.
Most filling stations in the state had in the past
week hiked the price of fuel from N145 to N160 per litre, a hike that has affected
transportation fares in the state.
The organisation said it was worried that
Independent Petroleum Marketers in Yenagoa, the state capital, suddenly
increased the pump price by N15, describing it as illegal.
Speaking after an emergency meeting with the independent
marketers in the state, on Tuesday, DPR’s Head of Operations, Ibinabo Jack,
warned that if they do not revert to N145, the affected stations would be
closed down immediately.
He asked them to immediately revert to the original
price of N145 per litre or be sanctioned, insisting that they have no reason to
increase the price of the product.
“I personally went round and discovered that all
the filling stations were selling above the pump price. They were selling at
the rate of N160 for petrol. We condemn it. The sudden rise in pump price is
not welcome by DPR.
“DPR has not given notice on any form of price
increase and there is no directives for fuel pump increase. The pump price
still remains at N145 per litre. From now on after this briefing with the
marketers, the DPR will not hesitate to impose stringent penalties upon anyone
found selling above the pump price.
“Petrol at the depot as at the beginning of the
week, still remains N133, and so we are saying that marketers have no reason to
say they have written to the authority or that they were granted approval by
someone to sell above the pump price approved by the Petroleum Products
Regulatory Agency (PPRA),” he said.
The Bayelsa State Chairman of the Independent
Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Erefemota Peters, in his
remarks, said the increase was caused by hike in depot price.
He said marketers in the state sourced products
from the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries at prices above N142.
According to him, after including transport cost,
there was no way the marketers in the state could sell at the government
approved price of N145.
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