By Etuka Sunday
The management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has commenced fresh measures to halt what it described as artificially induced fuel scarcity evident in some parts of the country particularly in Lagos and its environs.
Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim in a statement said that the NNPC in conjunction with the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA will commence detailed monitoring of fuel stations in Lagos and its environs as well as any other state to checkmate the incidence of hoarding and panic buying of fuel.
“We tried it in Abuja and its environs and today the effective monitoring has decimated the hitherto long fuel queues in Abuja. We are extending the extensive joint monitoring to Lagos,’’ Dr. Ibrahim said.
“It is pertinent to state for the umpteenth time that there is no plan by the federal government to increase the price of petrol. Once again, we appeal to marketers to refrain from hoarding and to members of the public not to engage in panic buying. We are convinced that in the days ahead, the fuel situation will normalize as there are enough petrol products to go round,’’ he said.
