Independent Petroleum Marketers within Benin metropolis in Edo State have continued to dispense petrol at N125 per litre in violation of the recent announced pump price of N108 per litre.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday announced a reduction in the ex-depot price of petrol to N108 per litre
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that this was the second time the NNPC has dropped the price of petrol after its first reduction on March 19, 2020 to N125.
However, NAN investigation shows that filling stations across Benin, the capital city of Edo State, still maintained their old pump price of N125 per litre.
Speaking in separate interviews to NAN on Saturday motorists lamented that five days after the directive, all the filling stations, including the NNPC Mega station, had refused to adjust their pumps to reflect the new price.
The motorists said the marketers should have flowed with the government’s benevolence to also effect change in their pump price.
They noted the reverse would have been the case for marketers if government had increased the pump price.
A motorist, John Ebidah, said he had expected that the filing stations would have by Friday adjusted their pumps to the new price.
Ebidah said: “This has always been the problem with these filing stations.
“They are quick at adjusting price upward, but not downward, just to maximise their profits.”
Another respondent, Joel Mumah, described the refusal of the marketers to adjust their pumps to reflect the new price regime as “unpatriotic”.
Meanwhile, a marketer, who pleaded anonymity, said they had yet to receive any notice to the effect that would warrant a change to the pump price of PMS.
SOURCE THE EAGLE ONLINE
