THE Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on the federal government to revoke the licenses of petroleum marketers hoarding petroleum products and selling above the official pump price.
In a statement jointly signed by its president, Comrade Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, Comrade Lumumba Okugbawa, PENGASSAN said there is no justification for petrol to be sold for such a highly inflated price, thereby subjecting the masses to further difficulties.
The union said data made available from its members indicate that there are over 30 days of petrol sufficiency in the country, hence there is no basis for the current scarcity and hardship that Nigerians are being subjected to.
The union therefore empathise with Nigerians on the hardship they currently face with the scarcity and drastic hike in the price of PMS.
“The national leadership of PENGASSAN has been following up with our members in NNPC Trading Limited who are responsible for assigning the products to marketers and our teaming members from NMDPRA in various depots and terminals across the country that are responsible for issuing cargo clearance, monitoring compliance, routing inspection, metering calibration/maintenance, accurate delivery to trucks, record keeping, etc. on the need to carry out their functions expeditiously…
“While we understand that the parameters imputed into the old PPPRA and now NMDPRA template have since changed because of some economic vagaries such as exchange rate fluctuation, vessel hiring cost and cost of AGO amongst others, there is no sufficient justification for PMS (Petrol) to be selling for such highly inflated price, thereby subjecting the masses to further difficulties.
“Even though we have some good marketers who tend to play by the rules, others who are overbearing have deployed methods of creating artificial scarcities in other to hike the price of the product uncontrollably as the prices of the product now sell between N185 to N400 depending on your location and outlet.
“We hereby call on the management of NMDPRA to compel all marketers and retailers to make the products available at the approved price. They should immediately mobilise all their staff in various locations across the country to monitor compliance and anyone found wanting, should have their license revoked to serve as a deterrent,” PENGASSAN said.
