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From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sam Ohuabunwa, yesterday, lashed out at President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government for surreptitiously deregulating the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol.
This is as Ohuabunwa has flayed the Federal Government for paying lip-service with issues bordering the payment of subsidies in the oil sector.
“It is deceitful and disingenuous for this government to announce that payment of subsidy will end in June, when they would have ended their regime. Why wait? Why make such deceitful proposition? Who will enforce the plan, Buhari, oil minister or the new president?”
Ohuabunwa stated this in a statement, yesterday, asking President Buhari to come clean on his policies for the downstream oil sector given the differences in pump prices across states without efforts by relevant regulatory agencies to apprehend or prosecute culprits.
“Directly or indirectly, officially or unofficially, it is clear that the cap on the pump price of petrol (PMS) has been removed. All over Nigeria, for a few months now, the price of petrol has varied from one filling station to the other. As at January 6, prices ranged from a minimum of N240 per litre in Benin, N340 in Kaduna, N360 in Umuahia, N400 per litre in Owerri to N500 per litterer in Port Harcourt. No filling station is selling at the so called controlled price, except in some filling stations in Abuja and Lagos. And nobody is enforcing any price as it used to happen in the past. So it is clear we have deregulated. Thats fine! I think the Government should own up and announce this policy officially.I urge the government to come clean and level up with citizens instead of this deceit and hanky-panky game with our commonwealth and citizen wellbeing,” he said.
Ohuabunwa, who is former Chairman of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), said officially announcing the deregulation of the downstream sector would more companies and oil marketers import fuel under the supervision of the regulatory agency, thus immediately easing the current scarcity and plight of many motorists and road users in the country.
“An official deregulation now will obviate the need for more subsidy payment and at least we can save the N3.5trillion budgeted for the first six months of this year by this outgoing government.”
