The Federal Government has refuted claims that it directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to sell petrol at ₦1000 per litre. The denial comes in response to a viral report alleging that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, instructed NNPCL to increase fuel prices to that amount.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Nnemaka Okafor, an aide to the minister, categorically dismissed the report as false and misleading.
“The Federal Government is compelled to address the outright falsehoods currently being circulated on social media, which claim that the Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to inflate petroleum prices above the approved pump price,” the statement read. “We categorically condemn these claims as baseless, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent.”
The government challenged anyone with evidence to support the allegations to come forward, asserting that the claims are entirely without merit.
“It must be stressed that NNPCL operates as an independent entity under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), with a fully empowered Board of Directors,” the statement added. “The Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not, and will not, interfere in the internal decisions of NNPCL, including pricing matters. Any suggestion otherwise is not only incorrect but also reveals a profound misunderstanding of the deregulated nature of Nigeria’s petroleum sector.”
The government urged the public to disregard the false reports and reiterated its commitment to maintaining transparency in the management of the petroleum sector.
