From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has toured fuel stations in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, to monitor the availability of petroleum products.
Lokpobiri arrived at the Bayelsa State International Airport, Amassoma, at about 11:30 a.m. and proceeded directly to the Rain Oil filling station at Etegwe, accompanied by officials of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
He also visited an NNPC affiliate filling station at Etegwe, Rano Oil at Opolo, and the NNPC mega filling station at Berger Junction.
At all the fuel stations he visited, the Minister asked pump attendants to dispense fuel to verify the actual volume being sold to Nigerians.
In an interview, Lokpobiri said the purpose of his visit was to ascertain the availability of petroleum products and to ensure Nigerians were not being cheated.
He expressed satisfaction with the availability of petroleum products in line with the deregulation policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
According to him, since the assumption of office by President Tinubu, Nigerians have not experienced fuel scarcity due to price hikes during periods of high demand, such as the Yuletide season.
“This is the second time running under this administration that petroleum products are available during the festive season. If you recall, during past festive seasons when demand was high, there was often product scarcity leading to price hikes. But last year, there was product availability, and this year, too, products are available.
“Now that the oil sector is fully deregulated under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the government’s concern is ensuring product availability and that products are dispensed to customers in the right volume.
“What we have seen in the past is that someone might claim to be selling 100 litres when, in reality, they are selling 50 litres. That is why, without any notice, I went directly from the airport to various stations to ensure Nigerians are not being cheated.
“The essence of deregulation can be seen in the price disparity. As a government, our priority is ensuring that the products are available for the benefit of Nigerians.”
Regarding dispensing the correct volume for payments made by customers, Lokpobiri instructed two pumps at two filling stations to adjust their calibration to ensure accurate dispensing.
While promising to return in a few days to confirm compliance, he urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report any fuel stations found cheating customers.