The Edo State Government has commenced inspection to check fuel scarcity, hoarding, and a hike in the price of premium motor spirits in the state.
According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Projects, Mr. Cruseo Osagie, the task force set up to regulate the product, on Tuesday, inspected fuel stations in the Benin metropolis to check against hoarding, as well as address the issue of artificial scarcity and arbitrary hikes in prices of petroleum products in the state.
During the inspection, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Energy and Mining, Mr. Ferguson Enabulele told reporters that the state government would carry out further engagements with relevant authorities on the matter.
He said: “We discovered under-dispensing in some of these stations, over pricing which cannot be fully justified as some are saying the sector has been fully deregulated but there is no formal letter from the state government concerning that. So, we still stand with the old prices of these products.
“It’s a bit difficult to reach a specific position on this issue now (pricing). We will hold further conversations with the office of the NUPRC (Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission) in the state and thereafter, inform the state governor of our findings.
“We will invite owners of filling stations to engage with them also. It is when we have that information that we will now know what to do because as we stand, there is no formal authority deregulating that sector but as against what most of these petrol stations are acting on – as if the sector has been fully deregulated and they have control over their pricing”.
He appealed to the residents to be patient as there is going to be more engagement with the NUPRC to arrive at an authoritative position.
