The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) has urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) to reverse the recent hike in petrol prices.
Rep. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, the committee’s chairman, described the price increase as “unacceptable” and called for immediate steps to ease the financial pressure on Nigerians.
“We urge the Federal Government and, of course, the NNPCL to consider the plight of Nigerians and suspend this recent increase in pump price,” Doguwa told PulseNets.
PulseNets learned that the committee underscored the hardships citizens are facing, while also criticizing private companies for exploiting loopholes to boost profits at the expense of the general public.
Doguwa further stressed the importance of reinstating the previous petrol price and emphasized the need for wider stakeholder engagement to address the ongoing issue.
As the head of the Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft and Vandalisation, Doguwa also outlined plans to collaborate with security agencies to tackle oil theft, a problem threatening the country’s fuel supply.
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“A return to the old pump price will calm frayed nerves, enabling Nigerians to go about their daily activities with ease,” he added.
Speaking to PulseNets, Doguwa encouraged Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration in its efforts to rejuvenate the oil and gas sector, particularly with the ongoing rehabilitation of the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries.
[…] Marketers further pointed out that the nation’s domestic petrol production is insufficient to meet its daily consumption of 50 million liters, according to the latest data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. […]