FG distance self from NNPCL fuel price increase

Heineken Lokpobiri, minister for petroleum resources (oil) has denied issuing increase the prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as fuel to N1,000 per litre, Topnaija.ng reports.

In a statement signed by Nnemaka Okafor, his media aide, Lokpobiri said reports of price directives were “ill-conceived to sow discord and confusion in the oil industry.”

“The Federal Government is compelled to address the outright falsehoods currently being circulated on social media, which claim that the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to inflate petroleum prices above the approved pump price,” the statement reads.

“We categorically condemn these claims as baseless, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent. We challenge anyone in possession of any evidence—be it written documents, audio, or video recordings—that supports these fabrications to make it public.

“Such a claim is entirely devoid of truth and should be recognised as an intentional effort to mislead the public. It must be stressed that NNPCL operates as an independent entity under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, with a fully empowered Board of Directors.”

Lokpobiri said the ministry does not and will not interfere in the internal decisions of NNPCL, including pricing matters.