The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, PETROAN and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend the planned fuel price discount at Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL filling stations to other filling stations across Nigeria.
The National Presidents of PETROAN and IPMAN, Billy Gillis-Harry and Abubakar Maigandi, disclosed this in separate interviews with DAILY POST on Friday.
Recall that at a press conference on Thursday, the Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, proposed a 30-day fuel price discount, with a fixed gantry price of N1,350 per litre at NNPCL filling stations.
Oyedele clarified that the proposal did not mean a return to fuel subsidy.
However, opposition figures, including the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, described the move as a publicity stunt that would not address the economic hardship Nigerians face.
Reacting, Gillis-Harry and Maigandi, speaking from the perspective of stakeholders in the petroleum downstream sector, agreed that the 30-day fuel price discount was a good initiative.
Gillis-Harry said PETROAN had always advocated government intervention to cushion the effects of fuel price hikes on Nigerians.
He urged the government to extend the discount to petroleum product retailers nationwide so that more Nigerians could benefit from the initiative.
“PETROAN has always advocated solutions to rising fuel prices. The move is a solution, although it is temporary. We would recommend that the discounted fuel be extended to our members to boost the reach of the initiative,” he told DAILY POST.
Similarly, Maigandi said any initiative aimed at reducing fuel prices was welcome.
He also urged the Tinubu-led government to extend the discount to IPMAN members for greater impact on Nigerians.
“Well, in fact, you know, a decision to reduce prices is always good. What the government did is good. But what we are actually saying is that the government should extend the discount to every marketer, not only NNPCL filling stations,” he told DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that petrol currently sells at between N1,370 and N1,400 per litre at retail outlets, while Dangote Refinery’s gantry price stands at N1,350 per litre.
PETROAN, IPMAN tell Tinubu to extend N1,350/litre fuel price to other filling stations