NNPCL Plan N148/litre, Tinubu Insists on Subsidy Removal
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is planning to sign an agreement with independent oil marketers to ensure that the ex-depot price of petrol is N148/litre.
The National Controller, Operations, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mike Osatuyi, on Thursday said that IPMAN was currently holding a series of meetings with the new Managing Director of NNPCL Retail, Hubb Stockman, who promised to supply IPMAN members products directly.
This came as the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said no matter how long people protest against the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, the scheme must be stopped.
Speaking on the agreement with NNPCL, Osatuyi said, “They (NNPCL) have now put IPMAN under him (Stockman) directly, and he’s a good guy. With the series of meetings we have been having with him, something good will come out of it, latest by January.
“We will get products directly from NNPCL and we won’t have to go through the depots. He’s a white guy, and you know whites don’t play politics. By that, prices of products will go down. But what we are asking for again, is consistency in product delivery to us, and let it not be a one-off thing.”
The Chairman, IPMAN Satellite Depot, Akin Akinrinade, had told The PUNCH, on Wednesday, that private depot owners kept increasing prices, as petrol was currently sold to them above N200/litre.
The filling stations belonging to NNPCL sold petrol at N169/litre, while major marketers dispensed the product at N170/litre, as IPMAN sold theirs at about N250/litre, depending on the location.
The queues for petrol grew worse in Lagos on Thursday, but subsided in parts of Abuja.
Commenting on the issue of fuel subsidy on Thursday, the APC presidential candidate said no matter how long people protest against the removal of subsidy on PMS, the scheme must be stopped.
Addressing the pressing issue of fuel subsidy and what he would do if elected President of Nigeria, Tinubu promised to take bold decisions that would turn the economy around and one of such would be a firm decision on fuel subsidy.
Tinubu, who spoke at the business luncheon with business owners titled “Business Forward”, at the Wings, Victoria Island, Lagos, insisted that Nigeria would not continue to subsidise fuel consumption in neighbouring countries.
He was quoted in a statement issued by Tunde Rahman of Tinubu Media Office as saying, “How can we be subsidising fuel consumption of Cameroon, of Niger, of Benin Republic. No matter how long you protest, we are going to remove subsidy.”
Speaking on security, the presidential aspirant said, “First, the primary responsibility of government is to protect the lives, properties, and prosperity of its citizens.
