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The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned Nigerians against panic buying amid reports of a likely plan to increase the pump price of petrol, also called Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
According to reports, fuel marketers clashed with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over whether the government was still paying subsidy. It noted that petrol will now cost N1,200 per litre due to the cessation of under-recovery of fuel costs.
No Basis For That’
But speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, IPMAN’s Public Relations Officer, Okanlawon Olanrewaju, said there is no plan by fuel marketers to increase fuel price.
“As far as the independent marketers are concerned, we don’t have plans or plans to increase fuel pump price,” he said on Thursday.
“There is no basis for that for now. There is no signal from NNPC that we should increase. So, we cannot do that on our own except NNPC comes out and says we are going to increase pump price. On our own, there is nothing like that.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the public to stop panic buying. There is nothing like that (fuel price increment). It is just a rumour.”
His comment came hours after the NNPC dismissed having a clash with IPMAN, insisting that subsidy has been entirely removed on petrol months after President Bola Tinubu pronouncement its removal.
Tinubu had in his May 29 inauguration said the 2023 budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and that it was no longer justifiable.
The declaration saw petrol per litre jumping from around N184 to over N600 in several parts of the country. The removal of fuel subsidy also came with attendant economic crises with food inflation moving to an all-time high.
Oil marketers had also threatened to raise the price per litre of petrol over fluctuating and scarce foreign exchange used to secure the essential commodity.
However, the implementation of subsidy removal has been a subject of controversy with the World Bank saying that the NNPC was not transparent about the financial gains from it.
