Divine Enyinnaya
The Federal Government has refuted claims that it directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to increase fuel prices to N1000 above the approved pump rate. Recent reports suggested that the Minister of State for Oil and Gas, Hon. Heineken Lokpobiri, instructed NNPCL to implement this price hike.
A statement from Nnemaka Okafor, the Minister’s aide, denounced these reports as false and misleading. She emphasized that the Federal Government has never intervened in petroleum pricing decisions and maintains that such claims are intended to create confusion and unrest.
The statement also clarified that NNPCL operates independently under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not interfere in its pricing decisions. The government challenged anyone with evidence to substantiate these claims to present it, underscoring that the allegations are baseless.