The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has assured that petrol will be available across the length and breadth of the country by the weekend.
He gave the assurance yesterday while briefing State House reporters after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The meeting was also attended by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
According to the Daily Trust, Lokpobiri said the meeting was at the instance of President Bola Tinubu, whom, he said, was concerned about the hardship being faced by the masses.
Despite the recent adjustment in the price of petrol, queues have persisted at stations across the country.
The NNPCL Retail Management had on Tuesday implemented price hikes ranging from N855 to N897 per litre, depending on the location, as against the previous N568-N617 prices per litre.
Independent marketers have equally adjusted their prices to between N930 and N1,250 per litre of the product. The organised labour and other stakeholders have expressed concerns over the new petrol price regime.
The Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) raised concerns that the situation would aggravate inflation and the cost of doing business in the country. The minister said yesterday that the government was not fixing prices.
Lokpobiri also asked Nigerians to shun panic buying, saying “what is important is that products are available in the country, and we believe that between now and the weekend, there will be availability of products across the length and breadth of the country.
“The price could be high in some areas, much higher in some other locations, and much more (sic) higher in other areas.
“But we believe that by the time there’s availability of products across the country, the price itself will stabilise.
“But what is important is that the government is not fixing prices.
“This sector is deregulated. And we believe that with the availability of products, the price will find its level. And this is important for Nigerians to know.
“There’s enough product in the country to be able to meet the demands of Nigerians; there should be no panic buying.
“And we also believe that Nigerians need to know that the government is not fixing prices”, he reiterated.
