The Federal Government has denied reports that the Ministry of Petroleum ordered NNPCL to sell fuel at N1000, calling the claims false and misleading.

The Federal Government has dismissed reports claiming that the Ministry of Petroleum ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to sell fuel at N1000, above the approved pump price.

In a statement released on Tuesday, September 3, Nneamaka Okafor, Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Petroleum, labelled the reports as fabricated and ill-conceived.

Read Also: NNPCL addresses fuel scarcity in Lagos, Abuja, blames distribution challenges

Okafor stated, “There was never a time FG interfered with petroleum pricing with NNPCL, let alone give directives for price increment.” She further addressed the falsehoods circulating on social media, which suggested that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources, had directed NNPCL to inflate petroleum prices.

“We categorically condemn these claims as baseless, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent,” she added. The adviser challenged anyone with evidence of these allegations to present it publicly, asserting that such claims are entirely devoid of truth.

She emphasised that NNPCL operates as an independent entity under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) with a fully empowered Board of Directors. “The Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not, and will not, interfere in the internal decisions of NNPCL, including pricing matters,” she clarified.

The Minister of Petroleum, Lokpobiri, elaborated on the ongoing issues of fuel smuggling and pipeline vandalism, explaining that if NNPC imports PMS and sells to marketers at lower prices, smuggling will continue. “Even if you put all the policemen on the road, they are Nigerians; you and I know the answer,” he said.