Most filling stations in Ondo state have refused to comply with the directive of the Federal Government that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) pump price per litre should be N123.50 with effect from April 1, 2020.
Government had further reduced petrol fuel pump price from N125 to N123 after its initial reduction from N145 to N125 this year as a palliative measure to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 disease which has been ravaging the globe and also causing a drastic fall in oil price.
Our reporters visited some filling stations located across the state to investigate why they were not complying with the Federal Government’s directive.
We can authoritatively report that very few filling stations are selling at N123.50, while majority of them still sell at N125 on the claim that they were only selling what they bought.
In Akure, the manager of a popular filling station along the Akure-Ilesa express way, Mr Olanrewaju Olalumade said that the federal government has not given them the order to start selling at N123, and that series of meetings were on going on the new directive. He said that as soon as they receive the order, they will commence selling PMS at N123. 50 per litre.
The managers of other filling stations, who both spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that they were selling what they bought. They said that they bought PMS at N125 and that is the price they could sell it.
Reports from Ikare, Ugbe Akoko, Arigidi, Akungba and Okeagbe Akoko, Ifon and Owo also revealed that almost all the fuelling stations in the region were selling PMS at N125.
A manager of one of the filling stations in Ikare Akoko, who preferred to be anonymous, told our reporter that although they heard about the directive by the federal government, authority of the Independent Petrol Marketers of Nigeria, IPMAN, had ordered that no filling station should sell petrol at the N123 pump price.
He however declined to comment further on the reasons for the action of IPMAN.
As a result of this non-compliance by majority of the filling stations, motorists and members of the public have cried to the government to ensure that the stations comply with the order.
The situation was a bit different in Ondo as reports from the region revealed that many stations had reduced petrol price to N123 in compliance with the directive of Federal Government.
Majority of the operators of the stations like NIPCO, TOTAL, NNPC said that they had been selling at the new price after they had dispensed off their old stock.
Similar report was received from the Southern part of the state. Although many of the stations were selling petrol at N123, some were yet to comply.
Investigations across most Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), NNPC retail outlets in the council area revealed compliance by its fuel stations as they had reduce pump price to N123.50.
In Ore, the Odigbo Local Government, majority of the fuel stations visited were selling between N123.50 and N125 per litre.
According to an NNPC retailer, who does not want his name on print, the company was the first in the country to comply with the PPPRA price advisory issued on 19th March, 2020, by adjusting its pumps to N125 per litre from the old price of ₦145 per litre.
“The PPPRA announced the new pump price range of N123.50 to N125 for the month of April 2020. What this means is that all stations in Nigeria cannot sell below ₦123.50 and cannot sell above N125 per litre for the month of April 2020.
“NNPC Retail Limited. is fully complying with the PPPRA directive as we are neither selling below N123.50 nor selling above N125 per litre in all NNPC Retail stations nationwide,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, some fuel stations in the area belonging to members of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and that of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) were still selling at N125 per litre.
Some of the operators of the fuel stations, claimed that they were unable to comply with the new pump price because they were yet to dispense off their old stock.
A cross section of the retailers however lamented that the lockdown had badly affected their sales volume as 33,000 litres of petrol, usually sold in two days, now last as much as five days.
As a result of the non-compliance by many of the retailers, residents in Ondo state have cried to the government to ensure compliance by all stations.
Mr Andrew Adeniji described the non-compliance with the directive of the FG as worrisome, adding that the price reduction was made to mitigate the pains of Nigerians.
A commercial driver, Mr Samuel Alade also described the non-compliance attitude of petrol retailers as a corrupt practice being done against the vulnerable masses and petroleum products consumers in Nigeria.
Alade therefore urged federal government to enforce complete compliance with the new pump price in all the filling stations in the country.
The Hope
