Independent Marketers defy FG on new pump price.

Meanwhile investigations carried out  have revealed that petrol stations belonging mostly to independent oil marketers have failed to comply with the federal government’s directive on new pump price.
The government had on January 1 approved new regulated pump price of N86.50 per litre of petrol for major and independent oil marketers, and N86 for retail stations belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as against the old price of N87.
However, reports from our correspondents in Abeokuta, Kaduna, Yola, Oshogbo, Lagos, Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Port Harcourt, Abeokuta, Jos, Minna and Jalingo revealed that while stations belonging to the NNPC and some major marketers, like MRS, Oando, Total and AA Rano, have adjusted their pumps to the new price, many belonging mostly to independent marketers have shunned the directive.
In Kaduna, a fuel attendant at an independent filling station, who did not want to be named, told our correspondent that “what we have is old stock and we cannot afford to sell at a loss; that is the instruction we were given by our oga.”
In Akure where the product sold for between N97 and N130 a litre, operators told our reporter that they would not be able to sell at N86.50 per litre due to the non-availability of the product.
An operator who preferred anonymity said that it was unfair for government to ask them to sell petrol at N86.50 a litre because they source the product through other means at exorbitant costs.
Similarly, the manager of an independent filling station in Osogbo, Osun State, told our reporter they would comply with the new price regime after exhausting their existing stock.
Similarly in Adamawa, a manager of one of the independent filling stations who do not want his name in print said they were yet to revert to the new price regime as they are yet to receive a circular from the federal government to that effect.
Commenting on the issue, Adamawa State chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Butu, revealed that the members had not received any circular from the federal government indicating the price review.

Petrol Sells For N130 per litre In Benin
Motorist in Benin City and its environs were yesterday subjected to harrowing experience after filling stations defied federal government’s directive on the new pump price for petrol.
Most stations continued to sell the product at the old regulated price of N87 per litre with a relatively long queue.
At an NNPC retail station at Upper Sakponba road, petrol was sold for N87 despite the federal government directive.
A fuel attendant told our correspondence, on condition of autonomy, that motorists should be thankful after all ‘’others are selling for N145-N150 per litre, while others said they had old stock in supply and can’t risk selling at government approved price.”
Other independent marketers sold the product for between N115 and N150 per litre.