The Edo State government on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the price disparity of fuel among petroleum marketers, urging stakeholders in the sector to maintain a reasonable price margin for the product being sold to residents in the state.
Ethan Uzamere, commissioner for mining, oil and gas, said this during an emergency stakeholders’ meeting with executives of Nigerian Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Benin City.
Uzamere said the state government would partner with the Federal Government, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to tackle the issues of long queues, adulteration and ensure conformity with the agreed price benchmark.
Read also: Petrol scarcity takes toll on businesses in Benin
The commissioner assured residents that the government would intensify efforts to ensure more supply and distribution of PMS across the state, adding that measures would be put in place to properly monitor the supply and distribution of petroleum products assigned to the state in order to avoid diversion.
“The state will partner with Federal Government agencies, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to make sure we tackle the issues of long queues, adulterated PMS and the high price of the product being sold to members of the public. We also want to call on the petroleum marketers, especially IPMAN, to make sure they regulate the price margins with which their members are selling the product to the populace,” he said.
Uzamere, who urged petroleum marketers to reduce their pump price to the agreed benchmark pending when the state gets more supply of PMS, advised them to collaborate with the state government and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a hitch-free supply chain.
BusinessDay reports that fuel sells between N180 and N220 in some filling stations in the state.
