Lokpobiri promises fuel availability by weekend after meeting with Shettima

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, on Thursday, assured Nigerians of the availability of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol over the weekend.

The minister disclosed this to journalists at the end of a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House, Abuja.

The Chief Executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and the Executive Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mugo Okuoha, were also present at the meeting.

He said the meeting was at the request of President Bola Tinubu who is currently in China to meet with the country’s president, Xi Jinping, and business leaders.

He appealed to Nigerians to stop panic buying, saying prices would stabilize when the products were available.

Fuel lines were back at gas stations across the country towards the end of last month, with marketers blaming the Federal Government for the shortage.

Lokpobiri promised fuel availability by the weekend after meeting Shettima on Tuesday and increased the price of the product across its retail outlets from ₦568 to ₦885 per litre.

READ ALSO: Local refineries to increase crude oil production – Lokpobiri

This follows Lokpobiri’s rejection of the federal government’s approval of a fuel price hike.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have since condemned the fuel price hike and demanded the immediate reversal of the decision.

Lokpobiri said: “What is important for us is to convey to the Nigerian people that the President is empathetic to what is happening in the country. He is concerned about the hardships that Nigerians are going through, and that is why he instructed the Vice President to convene this meeting, so that we can reflect on what is happening in the country.

“The important thing is that the product is available in the country, and we believe that from now until the end of the week, the product will be available in all corners of the country.

“The price may be high in some other areas, much higher in some other locations, and in some locations, much more expensive than you know in other areas. However, we are confident that by the time the product is available nationwide, the price itself will have stabilized.”

Lokpobiri promises fuel availability by weekend after meeting Shettima first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.