The Federal Government has refuted claims suggesting that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to sell fuel at N1,000 above the approved pump price.
The alleged directive, attributed to Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, was dismissed as false and misleading.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Minister, Nnemaka Okafor, the government condemned the report as a baseless attempt to incite public discontent and confusion within the oil industry.
The statement emphasized that the Federal Government has never interfered in petroleum pricing decisions made by NNPCL, which operates independently under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).
The government challenged anyone with evidence supporting the claim to make it public, reiterating that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not influence NNPCL’s internal decisions, including pricing.
The statement further highlighted the deregulated nature of Nigeria’s petroleum sector, emphasizing that such interference is neither possible nor true.
Punch