Equally, what appeared to be a major change in policy, the Federal Government, yesterday, said it has no plans to sell any of the country’s refineries.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, who spoke on the issue, also said that if selling the refineries was the basis for the plan by the junior oil workers to embark on strike, then the action would be fruitless.
Dispelling fears of pump price hike, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, said in a statement that all its offices nationwide had stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all products retail outlets to ensure and enforce compliance, stressing that all defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.
DPR reiterated that all petroleum product marketers must continue to sell at government approved prices.
It said: “The DPR wishes to inform the general public that the Federal Government of Nigeria has not and does not intend to increase petroleum product prices contrary to speculations by some members of the public.
“Consequently, all petroleum product marketers are hereby advised to sell at government approved prices and desist from hoarding, thereby causing artificial scarcity and hardship to consumers.
“The DPR wishes to reiterate that there is adequate supply of petroleum products nationwide.
“Meanwhile, all DPR offices nationwide have stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all products retail outlets to ensure and enforce compliance. All defaulters will be sanctioned in accordance with the law.”
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, appealed to oil marketers to refrain from hoarding of petroleum products, and the general public from panic buying in anticipation of any increase in pump price.
Kifasi further warned petroleum product marketers to desist from creating any scarcity so as to induce panic in the system to exploit unsuspecting members of the public.
VANGUARD
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