The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has purportedly barred the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, from purchasing Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) amid the product price increase on Tuesday.
The development had prompted the pump price of fuel hit alarming prices of N855, N897 to N1000 in major filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Lagos, Delta and Enugu states upon NNPCL’s upward price review.
Meanwhile, Independent marketers had retailed the product for N1,200 and N1,300 per liter in some states after the upward review of prices by the NNPCL.
But despite most fuelling stations hiking the petrol pump price hike, they are not dispensing fuel in major cities across the country.
As a result, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola in a statement on Wednesday, revealed that the NNPCL had barred its members from getting petrol at depots.
“Yes, our tickets were suspended for loading. They have not been attending to us since yesterday (Tuesday), and there is no official communication yet”, he had exclaimed.
Alternatively, since the upward review of petrol price, NNPCL has yet to officially make any announcement regarding the matter.
In Delta State, commercial tricycle riders have taken to the streets to protest the hike in petrol prices.