December 19, 2017

Residents of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital on Tuesday decried unofficial hike in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS), which now sells between N165 to N180 per litre at filling stations.

The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) appealed to relevant authorities to compel oil marketers to sell at the official pump price of N145 per litre, as transporters have capitalised on the increase to hike their fares.

Mr Clement Mbam , a lawyer and civil rights activists urged the Federal Government to direct relevant agencies charged with fixing, regulating and monitoring petroleum prices as well as the distribution of the commodity to ensure its availability.

Mbam also appealed to government to ensure that marketers sell the product at government approved prices through effective monitoring of product sales at the various filling stations.

He says it tantamount to economic sabotage for petroleum dealers to create artificial scarcity and sell the product at unofficial price.

” The government should compel petroleum marketers to sell the products at the government approved prices through strict monitoring and supervision of sales at various filling stations.’’

Mr Chris Elom, lecturer, Department of Cooperative Economics, Ebonyi State University (EBSU), said people were going through difficult moment as a result of the current economic hardship and urged government to address the crisis in the petroleum sector.

Elom said that the nation’s economy was being propelled by oil, noting that any crisis in the sector would ultimately affect the economy and people’s standard of living.

Mr Jerry Oyibe, Secretary of Ebonyi chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) condemned what he called ‘unpatriotic’ act of petroleum marketers who he accused of commodity hoarding.

” The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources have consistently debunked product scarcity and one wonders why the product is selling above official approved pump price.

“Marketers deliberately hoard the product with intent to create artificial scarcity and in the process exploit Nigerians who are forced to buy the product at high cost.

“The action is unpatriotic and unacceptable and hence government should do the needful to enforce price compliance to save the people from the exploitative tendencies of marketers, ” he said.

As a result of the increase in the pump price of PMS, intra-city transporters have increased their fare from N50 to N70 per drop.

NAN reports that tricycle is the most popular means of transport within Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital.