There is widespread condemnation over the fuel price deal by the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
This is coming as some Nigerians have said that their hope of easing sigh of relief following the sector’s deregulation appeared to have been dashed as the price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly known as petrol has continued to hit the roof.
For the Minority caucus of the House of Representatives, the N980 per litre of pump price as agreed by NNPCL and Dangote Refinery is outrageous and exploitative.
Chairman of the caucus, Kingsley Chinda, said the development was a burden added to the already struggling Nigerians.
In a statement that he signed, the lawmaker expressed his outrage over the pump price that varies from N950 to N980 and above N1000 per litre depending on the parts of the country.
The statement said, “We find this pricing regime to be not only burdensome but utterly unacceptable, particularly in light of the fact that this fuel is refined locally.”
The lawmaker emphasised that locally refined fuel should be priced significantly lower than imported fuel, as it avoids costs such as landing charges and import duties, insisting that the pricing model was wrong for all intents and purposes.
“It appears Nigerians are unfairly exploited, especially at a time when many are facing severe economic challenges,” he said, urging NNPCL and Dangote Refinery to reconsider their stand in the interest of the poor masses.
The statement warned that allowing the current pricing arrangement to continue would only deepen the economic hardships of millions and erode trust in local refineries’ ability to deliver affordable fuel.
The caucus called on regulatory bodies and the government to urgently review the pricing framework to ensure Nigerians are not subjected to unsustainable fuel prices.
Also reacting, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Femi Falana, condemned NNPCL for its role in setting the price of petrol, asserting that the actions of state oil companies are illegal and violate the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In a statement, Falana cited Section 205 of the PIA, emphasising that the law requires petroleum prices to be determined by free market forces, not by the NNPCL.
He argued that the company’s involvement in price-setting contradicts the very deregulation process outlined in the law.
