The Presidency and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva have denied approving any hike in petrol pump price describing the development as “unfortunate.”
This is more so as fuel queues have resurfaced across the major streets in the country.
The Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, has also corroborated the presidency’s position especially in the latter’s capacity as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Bashir Ahmad@BashirAhmaad· “President @MBuhari did not approve increase in petrol price by one naira “Neither Mr President who is the Minister of Petroleum Resources nor myself who deputise for him has approved that petrol price should be increased by one naira” HMSPR Sylva says in a statement.”
The Ministry’s statement was posted on the its websites on Friday by Garba Deen, GGM/Special Adviser on Media, Office of the Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resource.
In it, Sylva explained that neither he nor President Muhammadu Buhari approved the increase in the retail price of petrol to N212 per litre.
He added that irrespective of the source of the information, “I want to assure you that it is completely untrue.”
In the early hours of Friday, the Petroleum Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPRA) released a pricing template detailing the line items that took the purported new pump price to N212.6 per litre.
The development sparked outrage across the country with many lamenting the effect that the increase would have on food pricing and transportation.
The pricing template was later deleted by PPRA from its website.
NNPC has also published a one-liner saying that there is “No increase in Ex-Depot Price of PMS in March.”
Statement by the Ministery of Petroleum Resource:
DEAR NIGERIANS, YOU ARE BY NOW VERY AWARE OF THE NEWS TRENDING THAT THE FEDERAL GOVT HAS INCREASED THE PRICE OF PETROL TO N212.6 PER LITER.
IRRESPECTIVE OF THE SOURCE OF THAT INFORMATION, I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT IT IS COPLETELY UNTRUE. NEITHER MR. PRESIDENT WHO IS THE MINISTER OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES, NOR MY HUMBLE SELF WHO DEPUTISE FOR HIM AS MINISTER OF STATE, HAS APPROVED THAT THE PUMP PRICE OF PETROL SHOULD BE INCREASED BY ONE NAIRA.
I WOULD THEREFORE URGE YOU TO DISREGARD THIS MISLEADING INFORMATION. YOU ARE ALL AWARE THAT FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS THE GOVT HAS BEEN IN CONSULTATION WITH ORGANIZED LABOUR TO FIND THE LEAST PAINFUL OPTION TO RESPOND TO THE GLOBAL RISE IN THE PRICE OF CRUDE, WHICH IN TURN HAS INEVITABLY LED TO INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF PMS.
IT IS UNTHINKABLE THAT GOVT WOULD UNILATERALLY ABANDON THESE DISCUSSIONS AND ACT IN THE MANNER SUGGESTED BY THE INFORMATION UNDER REFERENCE. CYNISM AND DECIET HAVE NEVER BEEN THE TRADEMARK OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI.
I WOULD LIKE TO EQUALLY ASSURE YOU THAT THE ENGAGEMENT WITH ORGANIZED LABOUR AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WILL CONTINUE EVEN AS THE CALCULATIONS TO FIND THE LEAST PAINFUL OPTION TO RESPOND TO THE GLOBAL RISE IN THE PRICE OF CRUDE, YOU WILL BE AVAILED OF THE FINAL OUTCOME AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
IT IS UNTHINKABLE THAT GOVT WOULD UNILATERALLY ABANDON THESE DISCUSSIONS AND ACT IN THE MANNER SUGGESTED WHICH IN TURN HAS INEVITABLY LED TO INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF PMS.
ALL MARKETERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT PUMP PRICE BEFORE THE EMERGENCE OF THIS UNFORTUNATE INFORMATION. THOSE WHO MAY WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS UNFORTUNATE MISINFORMATION TO EXTORT NIGERIANS SHOULD NOT GIVE IN TO SUCH TEMPTATION AS THERE ARE REGULATOR MECHANISMS THAT GOVERNMENT CAN ENFORCE TO PROTECT ITS CITIZENS.
IN CONCLUSION, I WANT TO SINCERELY APOLOGISE TO ALL NIGERIANS FOR ANY DISTRESS AND INCONVENIENCE THE UNFORTUNATE INFORMATION MIGHT HAVE CAUSED.
THANK YOU, TIMIPRE SYLVA HMSPR. 12.03.2020