The Minister of State Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has toured fuel stations in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa state, to monitor the availability of petroleum products.
Lokpobiri arrived at the Bayelsa State International Airport, Amassoma, at about 11.30 a.m. and headed straight to the Rain Oil Filling station at Etegwe, accompanied by officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA.
He also visited an NNPC, affiliate filling station at Etegwe, Rano Oil at Opolo, and NNPC mega filling station at Berger junction.
In all the fuel stations, he visited, the Minister requested the pump attendants to dispense fuel to measure the actual volume being sold to Nigerians.
In an interview, Lokpobiri said the purpose of his visit to fuel stations in the state was to ascertain the availability of products and to ensure Nigerians are not being cheated.
He expressed satisfaction with the availability of petroleum products in line with the deregulation policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
According to him since the assumption of office of President Tinubu, Nigerians are no longer experiencing fuel scarcity due to price hikes because of high demand during the Yuletide.
‘’ This is the second time running under this administration that petroleum products are available during the festive season. If you recall during the festive season when there is high demand, there is product scarcity leading to price hikes. But last year there was product availability and this year there is product availability.
‘’Now that the oil sector is fully deregulated under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, what the government is concerned about is product availability, and then the product must be dispensed to customers in the right volume.”
“What we have seen in the past is that someone is telling you he is selling 100 litres, when in actual fact you are being sold 50 litres. That is why without any notice when I landed without even getting to my house, I had to visit one station to the other to ensure that Nigerians were not being cheated.”
” The essence of the deregulation can be seen in the price disparity. As government what we need to do is to ensure that the products are available for the benefit of Nigerians.’’
On the issue of dispensing the right volume for the full value of payments made by customers, Lokpobiri demanded that two pumps in two of the filling stations adjust their pumps to dispense the right volume.
While promising to come in a few days’ time to ensure that the right thing has been done, he cautioned distributors and filling station owners against sharp practices as the urged full weight of the law be used against those involved in alleged cases of not dispensing correct volume to Nigerians and urged Nigerians to be on the lookout for any fuel stations cheating the people.
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