The Federal Government has refuted claims that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to sell fuel at ₦1,000 per litre.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Nnemaka Okafor, Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, the government labeled the report as false and intended to create discord and confusion within the oil industry.
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The report alleged that Lokpobiri had issued the directive to NNPCL. However, the minister emphasized that the Federal Government has never intervened in petroleum pricing with NNPCL.
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The statement read, “The Federal Government is compelled to address the outright falsehoods currently being circulated on social media, which claim that the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to inflate petroleum prices above the approved pump price.
“We categorically condemn these claims as baseless, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent. We challenge anyone in possession of any evidence written documents, audio, or video recordings-that support these fabrications to make it public.
“Such a claim is entirely devoid of truth and should be recognised as an intentional effort to mislead the public. It must be stressed that NNPCL operates as an independent entity under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, with a fully empowered Board of Directors.
“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not, and will not, interfere in the internal decisions of NNPCL, including pricing matters. Any suggestion otherwise is not only incorrect but also reveals a profound misunderstanding of the deregulated nature of Nigeria’s petroleum sector.”
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