The Federal Government has dismissed reports alleging that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources instructed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to increase fuel prices by N1,000 above the approved rate. The reports claimed that Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), issued this directive.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Nnemaka Okafor, the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to Minister Lokpobiri, the government denounced the report as false and misleading. The statement emphasized that there has been no interference by the Federal Government in petroleum pricing or any directives given to NNPCL regarding price adjustments.
“The Federal Government is compelled to address the outright falsehoods circulating on social media, which falsely claim that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has directed NNPCL to raise petroleum prices beyond the approved rate,” the statement read. “We unequivocally reject these claims as baseless and malicious, designed to stir public unrest.”
The government urged anyone with evidence supporting these allegations—whether written documents, audio, or video recordings—to present it publicly. The statement asserted that such claims are entirely unfounded and intended to deceive the public.
It further clarified that NNPCL functions independently under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, with a fully autonomous Board of Directors. The Ministry of Petroleum Resources does not and will not interfere in NNPCL’s internal decisions, including those related to pricing. Any suggestion to the contrary reflects a significant misunderstanding of the deregulated nature of Nigeria’s petrol
WRITTEN BY; CHRISTOPHER AND SUNITA