New fuel price: CSOs urge FG, DPR, PPPRA to close defaulting stations

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) yesterday, in Abuja called for the closure of filling stations that have failed to comply with government’s directive that the pump price of fuel be reduced by N10.

The civil society groups led by the Executive Director, Conscience Nigeria, Tosin Adeyanju, also embarked on a rally from the Unity Fountain in Abuja to the Presidential Villa Gate and the NNPC Headquarters to show solidarity with the Federal Government over the reduction of fuel price.
Addressing newsmen after the rally,  Adeyanju described as “sabotage,” the refusal of some filling station owners to comply with government’s directive and urged the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to close down the defaulting stations.
“We call on the DPR and the PPPRA to immediately swing into action and make sure that all filling stations comply with the directive. We even need a presidential directive to the two agencies to seal any filling station which hoards fuel or fails to sell at the new price.”
The coalition of CSOs numbering over 1,000 comprising about 20 civil society groups, said they were behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in its efforts to alleviate the problem of the Nigerian masses.
On whether the reduction did not have political undertone, he said: “It is wrong to think that the president reduced pump price in order to gain popularity towards his election.
He contested election in 2011 and he did not announce slash in pump price. This is a global thing and any reasonable leader that loves the country should do so to cushion the effect of the current austerity measure.”