AWKA – The Anambra Government says it is working on a law to empower the state Committee on Procurement, Distribution and Regulation of Petroleum Product Prices to monitor activities of petroleum dealers effectively.
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Oil and Gas, Mrs. Ngozi Okoye, announced this in an interview with newsmen in Awka.
She spoke while reacting to the sharp increase in the price of petroleum products in the state by mostly independent marketers.
Reports state that the price of petrol is currently between N90 and N95 while some major marketers, who sell at control price of N87, hardly get the product.
“Last year when we went on warning inspection, out of 57 filling stations monitored, 22 were sealed for selling above approved pump price, adulteration and pump adjustment.
“However, each moment the committee sealed-off filling stations for one offence or the other, the DPR unsealed them, citing the absence of the legal right to carry out such exercise as reason,” Okoye said.
According to her, the state government is working on a law to help monitor and seal-off filling stations of offenders who involve in adulteration, adjustment of meters and hike in pump price.
Okoye explained that the preference of oil marketers to buy their products from Calabar and Lagos, instead of Port Harcourt was why prices of petroleum products remained higher in state.
“They claimed that they will not get the Petroleum Equalization Fund if they buy from Port-Harcourt or Lagos.
“They are also claiming to buy the product at N90 and cannot sell to consumers at the control price of N87 per litre,” the governor’s adviser explained.
Okoye, however, gave the assurance that a meeting with the state chapter of the independent petroleum marketers would soon be convened to find a solution to the price hike.