The leadership of NUPENG has issued a 24-hour notice to oil marketers to revert to the official pump price of N165 per litre or face the wrath of the Union.

NUPENG President, Comrade William Akporeha and the General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, said: “We are giving these marketers 24 hours with effect from midnight of Sunday, 27th of February, 2022 to revert to the official rate of 1-48. 77 or we shall name and shame them as public enemies aside from other sanctions.”

The ultimatum, they said, became imperative following the continued use of scarcity of fuel as license to dupe innocent motorists.

They noted that it was also disturbing that even though AGO, ATK and DPK were deregulated, there must be some measures of checks and control over the prices, otherwise, the entire productive activities would be grounded.

“We have it on good authority that its one marketer that determines and fixes prices of these products for other marketers to adopt, leaving all consumers (domestic and industrial) at their mercy. This unsavory situation is evidently clear from the cries of the airlines operators, road transport operators, factories owners and private homes and offices.

“NUPENG cannot continue to watch as some cabals keep on exploiting the people and the nation. We implore the general public to bear with us in whatever actions we deemed necessary against these exploiters,” they said.

The Union said: “Painfully, we noticed the helplessness of the NNPC in this in view of the implementation of the Act and also noted that these marketers are taking advantage of the newness of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority to rip off Nigerians.

“The nation and the people are bleeding and in the absence of any decisive institutional intervention, NUPENG has decided to once again step up in the defense of the people, the nation and the industry.

“We are also by this press release directing all our officials in all our zones to start compiling lists of petrol stations that are in habit of hoarding products during the day and selling at nights at exorbitant rates for possible sanctions. These also include; Petroleum Products depots that may want to be hoarding products because of our decision on this matter.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has attributed the persistent fuel queues still seen in many parts of the country to distribution hitches due to logistics.

The company also said it was working to resolve the hitches that had continued to prolong the three-week scarcity of petrol.

According to the fuel supply update released by the NNPC and signed by its spokesman, Garba-Deen Muhammad, the NNPC stated that it had enough products and was tackling distribution hitches that had been impeding PMS supply.

It also stated that it has already engaged the services of security agencies to ensure that products were delivered at the right locations.

It said, “NNPC once again assures Nigerians that it has sufficient stock of petroleum products for distribution across the country and is working assiduously with partners to ensure the product reaches every part of the country.

“NNPC is further intensifying efforts to resolve distribution hitches being experienced in some parts of the country due to logistics issues.