A Coalition of Civil Society groups says it will resist the alleged plan to increase the pump price of petrol to N700 per litre, describing it as unacceptable.
Basil Musa, the group’s convener and co-convener, Ayo Adebayo, said the coalition would shut down filling stations selling above the approved N448 per litre.
Mike Osatuyi, the national controller of operations, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), had said the petrol price could rise above N700 per litre in parts of the north from July.
“What I am seeing is around N600 and above, depending on the exchange rate, the current crude price at the international market and the landing cost,” Mr Osatuyi said.
Reacting to the planned increment of fuel pump price, the group accused IPMAN of running a parallel government outside a constitutionally recognised government of the country.
The group said the development is pure mischief and sabotage, even as Nigerians still grapple with the “price shock” occasioned by the increment on May 29.
The coalition threatened to mobilise members and stakeholders nationwide to protest and shut down filling stations.
The group urged the federal government to call IPMAN to order, stressing that Nigerians were struggling with the recently adjusted fuel pump price with no palliative measures yet.
“We watch the removal of fuel subsidy regime by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, and we take the dire consequences as part of sacrifice awaiting when the government would have settled to come up with ameliorative measures for the citizens.
“But, IPMAN’s plan to adjust fuel pump price will stoke protests because it isn’t in the interest of Nigerians.” the group added.
According to the group, IPMAN was largely behind the mystery litres of petrol consumption that suddenly dropped from 66 million per day to 40 million after the subsidy removal.
Some of the groups include Oil and Gas Transparency and Advocacy Group, the Civil Society Coalition for Economic Development (CED), the Centre for Citizens Rights, the Centre for Good Governance Advocacy, Action against Corruption in Nigeria, and others.
Meanwhile, the chairman of IPMAN in the South-West, Dele Tajudeen, denied the plan to increase pump price to N700 per litre nationwide.
“I want to disabuse the mind of the people that they should not panic about it, there is no cause for alarm, we are in control, and there is nothing like that,” Mr Tajudeen said in an interview on Friday in Ibadan.
He added, “So, people should be rest assured that there is no way they can buy petrol more than the price it is being sold now.”
