The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu; Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, have all been summoned by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on review of petroleum pump price, yesterday, to appear before it on the need to review the pump price of fuel.
This came as Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and its Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, counterpart, told the committee that on no account should marketers be allowed to increase the pump price of petrol, saying “this is not the right time to review the pricing template of PMS.”
Also, Obafemi Olawore, Executive Secretary, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, said the fact that importers pay Nigeria Maritime Agency for Safety Administration, NIMASA, and the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, in dollar was putting a great strain on the naira.
Similarly, some stakeholders at the public hearing, including some lawmakers, were of the opinion that the current pump price was too high and that it should be brought down to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians.
The Raphael Nnanna Igbokwe-led Ad-hoc committee in the two-day public hearing had accused a number of government agencies of contributing to the astronomical price of petrol, which is currently causing Nigerians pains.
The lawmakers said the NPA was not doing enough to justify the 84 kobo/litre collected from importers, adding that NPA would not have been able to justify the amount it was collecting if the seas were dredged and vessels not engaged on ship-to-ship discharging of products that add to costs of products and loss of revenue for the country.
On its part, Petroleum Products Prices Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, represented by its Executive Secretary, Victor Shidok, told the committee that the 30 kobo administrative charge on petrol was for services such as data capturing and monitoring by staff deployed to depots across the country.
The committee, however, insisted that the agency must present its list of inspectors engaged from 2012 till date, amounts paid, copies of agreements entered into with them and proof of payment
The agency will also provide proof of total amount received as administrative charges from 2012 to date.
Kachikwu, GMD NNPC, NPA summoned over petrol pump price
