Baru Tells Nigerians Not To Pay More Than N145 For Petrol

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Maikanti Baru, has urged Nigerians not to buy petrol from any filling station selling above the government approved pump price of N145.

He said this barely 24 hours after the Department of Petroleum Resources shut an NNPC station in Abuja for selling petrol at N181.

The DPR had alleged that many oil marketers were using the NNPC’s name and logo to cheat the public.

Baru spoke on the sidelines of the induction of the Founder/Group Managing Director, Arco Group Plc, Alfred Okoigun, as an honorary member of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering in Lagos on Thursday.

According to him, the NNPC management has sanitised the supply and distribution of petroleum in the country.

“We have brought back sanity in the fuel supply system. We have over 2.1 billion litres of petrol in-tank at the moment and people should be calm and be sure that the right quantity is given to them at the filling station at N145 per litre that the government has approved to be the sale price of PMS,” he said.

Describing Okoigun as a remarkable entrepreneur, whose service to the oil industry was important, Baru assured indigenous companies of the corporation’s support.

“What it takes to run the economy is to have entrepreneurs who are ready to bring innovations into the market. The Nigerian market will have a lot to benefit by bringing to the market the various inventions. The fact that they are going to set up manufacturing plants and equipment and produce these inventions to be used locally will have a multiplying effect,” he added.

On his part, Okoigun said the fellowship award would enable him to give more support to the engineering profession.

“This is an encouragement for me. It is a challenge that I should do more and it also represents the excellent work that Arco is doing,” he added.

The President, NAE, Mrs. Joanna Maduka, said the academy was doing its best to boost investors/inventors’ relationship.