The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. to restore the previous petrol pump price.
Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, the committee chairman, stated, “We urge the federal government and the NNPCL to consider the hardship faced by Nigerians and suspend this recent increase in pump prices.
“Let us revert to the old pump price as soon as possible and engage more intensively with key stakeholders to address this issue.”
Mr. Doguwa, who is also the chairman of the Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism, committed to addressing the challenges arising from the government’s revenue losses due to crude oil theft.
“As a special committee, we will actively seek ways to collaborate with the youth and community leaders in oil-producing areas,” he emphasized.
He noted that this effort aims to tackle the frequent occurrences of crude oil theft, which can disrupt petrol supply nationwide.
“We are working alongside security agencies to secure oil pipelines and other critical infrastructure in the country. We believe that reverting to the old pump price will alleviate tensions, allowing Nigerians to carry on with their daily lives more easily,” Mr. Doguwa pointed out.
The lawmaker also encouraged Nigerians to give President Bola Tinubu’s administration time to reform the oil and gas sector.
He stated that with the Petroleum Industry Act and efforts to revive the nation’s refineries, Nigeria will soon benefit from its oil and gas resources.
“We believe that with the government’s initiatives to restart operations at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, these challenges will be resolved,” he added.
On Tuesday, the NNPC instructed its fuel sales outlets to raise their pump price from an average of N617 to N897. This change has quickly led to increased prices in market commodities and the transportation sector.
