Confusion pervades the air following the new fuel price announced by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) on Tuesday.
The announcement directed all retail stations across the country to adjust their pump price from N617 to N897 per litre.
The statement reads: “Good Morning All. This is to inform you that NNPC Retail Management has approved an upward review of the PMS pump price from N617/litre to N897/litre, effective today, 3rd September 2024.
“Please ensure all your pumps and totems (price boards)/MIDs reflect the new PMS price of N897/litre. Thank you.”
However, when Nigerian Tribune reached out to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer (CCCO) of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, he stated that he would provide details at the appropriate time if there are updates.
“Thank you for reaching out. I have no comment on the matter at this time. If there are any updates, I will make sure to inform you. I appreciate your understanding,” Soneye said in a WhatsApp message to our correspondent.
At the NNPC filling stations on the Abuja-Keffi Expressway visited by Nigerian Tribune, motorists, okada riders, and Keke NAPEP riders were seen waiting for fuel attendants to open the gate for them.
At the New Nyanya station, the pump price still read N617 at the time Nigerian Tribune visited. However, at the Mararaba and Nyanya NNPC retail stations, the pump price displays were blanked out, indicating they are waiting for directives from NNPCL to adjust to the new price.
At the NNPCL Mega Station situated in the Central Business District along Computer Village, the price had already been adjusted, and motorists were seen trying to beat one another to the queue in order to buy fuel for their vehicles.
Nigerian Tribune reports that NNPCL had released a statement on Sunday indicating that fuel availability might be hampered by its $6 billion debt owed to some petrol suppliers.
On Monday, a group called the Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria called on President Tinubu to sack the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari, over persistent fuel scarcity and queues across the country.
The convener, Comrade Aminu Abass, while addressing journalists at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, said that NNPCL under Kyari has lost direction and seems to have run out of ideas on how to put the national oil company on the right track.
With banners reading “We want accountability in the affairs of the NNPCL,” “We are tired of fuel scarcity and stories on why refineries are not working,” and chanting solidarity songs, the group said Kyari has recorded more failures than successes, questioning why Nigeria, an oil-producing country, is still struggling to meet fuel supply needs.
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“The Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria stands here today with sober hearts but united in our shared outrage, collective pain, and unwavering demand for accountability.
We are not just here to protest; we are here to voice the frustrations of millions of Nigerians who have been pushed to the brink by the failures of one man, Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
“Mr. Kyari’s tenure has been marked by a dismal scorecard that raises more questions than answers. How can a nation so richly blessed with oil continue to suffer from an acute scarcity of petrol? Why do we, the people, have to endure endless queues, inflated prices, and the daily uncertainty of whether we can fuel our vehicles or power our homes? The answer lies in the gross incompetence and mismanagement that have become the hallmarks of Mr. Kyari’s leadership.
“The fuel scarcity we endure today is not just a mere inconvenience; it is a calculated perpetuation of suffering. Under Mr. Kyari’s leadership, the situation has gone from bad to worse, with no end in sight. What has he done to alleviate this crisis? It is clear he seems intent on maintaining a status quo that benefits only a select few while the masses suffer.
“Under Mr. Kyari’s watch, we have witnessed the importation of adulterated petroleum products that have wreaked havoc across the nation. Vehicles have been damaged, businesses disrupted, and lives put at risk, all due to negligence or, worse, deliberate sabotage of our nation’s lifeblood.
How can we trust a man who allows such a travesty to happen, who stands by while our economy is crippled by these toxic imports? This is not just an administrative failure; it is a crime against the Nigerian people.
“To President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and all those in positions of power, we say this: the time to act is now. Show us that the Renewed Hope Agenda is not just empty rhetoric.
Show us that you stand with the people, not with those who profit from our misery. Mr. Kyari must be shown the way out, and NNPCL must be reformed to serve the interests of all Nigerians.
“We will not be silenced. We will not be ignored. We will continue to raise our voices until justice is done and our demands are met,” Abass said.
and then