The Bayelsa state government has issued a warning to independent fuel marketers in the state against illegal and arbitrary increase in the pump price of petroleum products.
In a statement in Yenagoa on Friday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Hon. Frank Otele, said the government was not aware of any official price adjustment and that the action of most filling stations in the state, particularly in the state capital, Yenagoa, was unjustifiable.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has just this afternoon denied media reports that it has increased the pump price of petrol.
Hon. Otele stated that it is disheartening to note that most of the filling stations had unilaterally jacked up the pump price for petrol to between N197 and N210 naira per litre across the state, thereby causing panic among the unsuspecting customers.
The Special Adviser urged the leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), to call its members to order as any erring filling stations would be sealed-off.
Hon. Otele, also called on members of the public and consumers to remain calm as relevant officials of the state government are liaising with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and other stakeholders including fuel marketers to immediately address and resolve the matter.
