..Decry Continuous Fuel Price Hike in the State
…Call on Governor Fayose to Step in
[dropcap]R[/dropcap]esidents of Ekiti State of Nigeria have decried the continuous sale of fuel across the state above federal government’s official pump price, blaming the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) of complicity and corruption.
The accusation was made by several callers to an Ekiti State FM Radio audience participation programme aired on Monday morning.
According to the presenters of the programme, although most filling stations in Ekiti, especially the state capital have fuel for sale, there have been no queues, because all the stations, apart from one known as BOVAS, were selling at prices ranging from N180 to N200. Some, they confirmed, even have their meters adjusted above the government approved prices of N145.
Responding via phone call and text messaging, several residents of the state, alleged seeing members of the DPR task force visiting culpable filling stations without sanctioning them.
A caller from Igbemo-Ekiti, who gave an eye-witness account, alleged that he was present, when a set of DPR task force personnel stormed a filling station in the town. According to him, the station was not only selling fuel above official pump price, the pump has been adjusted to read N200 per litre.
But, he alleged, rather than sanctioning the erring filling station, the DPR officials received inducement of money and fuel and left the station to continue the illegal operation.
Other callers on the programme accused petroleum marketers of dishonesty, exploitation and selfishness. Contrary to their claims that fuel price had been jerked up at the NNPC Depot, where they load fuel, a caller, who sighted BOVAS as an example, said the station has not sold fuel above N143 per litre since the fuel crisis began late last year.
“And every time this station discharges fuel,” the caller explained, “the management sell it to the public at that price, which is even lower than the government approved price. Yet the management load from the same NNPC depots. And NNPC and Federal government have several times denied any plan to increase fuel pump price. Apparently, the marketers are just being selfish. But they are able to do it with impunity in Ekiti State, because of DPR’s collusion.”
Certain callers, therefore, appealed to the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose to step in , and in the interest of Ekiti people, make moves to get the DPR to do their job and ensure that erring petrol stations are sanctioned according to the law.
