THE Federal Government has apparently abandoned its plan to sell the nation’s refineries to stave off the strike action being planned by members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) as it now says that such sale has not been approved.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Maduekwe, had in an interview hinted about the impending sale of the refineries on the grounds that government did not want to continue to involve itself in the running of major infrastructure entities.
But speaking in an interview with State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, denied knowledge of the planned sale of the refineries, saying that if that was the basis of PENGASSAN’s impending strike, then, they have no case and government would not negotiate with the association.
He said there was no presidential approval for the refineries to be sold as government does not have such plans.
“Government is not going to sell any refineries. There is nosuch plans and there is no presidential approval for such. No body, not even the minister of petroleum have powers to sell any government property” he said.
Abati, therefore, urged the oil workers to have a rethink on their proposed action if their ground was on the perceived move the sell to refineries.
It is recalled that the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo had privatized the nation’s refineries but the policy was reversed by his successor in office, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has assured Nigerians that there will not be increase in price of premium motor spirit (PMS) better known as petrol.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Thursday a copy of which was made available to Nigerian Tribune.
According to the statement, the DPR Director, George Osahon assured Nigerians that there was adequate supply of petroleum products nationwide.
He said DPR offices nationwide had stepped up surveillance and monitoring of all product retail to enforce compliance with the directive.
However, to allay such fear of price increase, DPR said it has not and did not intend to increase petroleum products prices contrary to speculations by some members of the public.
It has therefore directed marketers to sell at government approved prices and desist from hoarding.
There has been anxiety of possible of increase in the pump price of petrol. This is because exactly two years ago, Nigerians woke up to the news of fuel price increase from N65 a litre to N140 a litre.
The hike in fuel price led to industrial actions that paralysed economic activities in the country.
Also, Mr Danladi Kifasi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, on Thursday allayed the fears of Nigerians that Federal Government plans to increase pump price.
Kifasi said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He emphasised that government had no plan to increase the pump price of PMS from the prevailing price of N97 per litre.
The Permanent Secretary dismissed fears in some quarters about an impending price hike describing it as “unfounded.”
“We would like to appeal to oil marketers to refrain from the hoarding of petroleum products and the general public from panic buying in anticipation of any increase in pump price.
“It is equally important to state that neither the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources nor any of its parastatal is under any instruction to activate a new pump price regime as being speculated,” he said.
Kifasi further warned petroleum product marketers to desist from creating any scarcity so as to induce panic in the system in order to exploit unsuspecting members of the public.
“The relevant agencies of government including the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been directed to deal with offenders,” he said.
Kifasi assured that the government had made enough arrangements to ensure that the entire nation remains ‘wet’ with petroleum products round the clock in 2014 just as it has been the practise in the last three years.
Source: Tribune
