Marketers comply with N145, beg FG for incentives

Oil marketers on Wednesday in agreement with the federal government to allow the pump price of petrol to stay at N145 per litre, reversing their previous stance on the pricing of the commodity.

On Tuesday, the Chairman, Depot and petroleum products Marketers Association, Dapo Abiodun, had declared that the marketers may not import petrol at a controlled price of N145 per litre.

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But it was gathered in Abuja on Wednesday that the marketers reversed their stance at the meeting of the impromptu committee set up by the Presidency to get the oil marketers to restart the importation of refined petroleum product.

Sources at the meeting told our correspondent that a story on the resolutions reached at the meeting would be made public soon, however noted that the marketers additionally appealed to the centralized to grant them tax holidays and other incentives that will facilitate cut their prices once they resumed fuel importation.

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It was learnt that four sub-committees were set up at the meeting, that was chaired by the Minister of State for petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

“Four sub-committees were inaugurated by the minister and that we in agreement on a price that’s good for Nigerians, that after all, is that the current price. all these and more are within the story that may be free presently,” a source who spoke to our correspondent in confidence, said.

Another source declared that the committees included those on logistics and business conduct, adding that the agreements reached at the meeting would be relayed to the Presidency before the communique would be created public.

It was also learnt that heads of some parastatals beneath the Federal Ministry of petroleum Resources were members of a number of the committees.

Meanwhile, the Senate has denied an alleged claim by the Chief of staff to the President, Abba Kyari, that the National Assembly is responsible for the delay in the payment of the debt owed oil marketers by the federal government.

The lawmakers denied any unfinished request to approve a loan for the payment of the debt by the Presidency.

The higher chamber of the National Assembly declared this on Wednesday during a statement issued by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi.

The statement read partially, “The attention of the Senate has been drawn to a claim said to possess been created by the Chief of staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, during a gathering with stakeholders within the oil business on the perennial fuel deficiency within the country to the result that the payment of debts owed oil marketers was being delayed as a result of the National Assembly has not approved request conferred to the legislature for a loan meant for that purpose.

“The Senate can wish members of the general public to know that no such request has been created to it specifically requesting for a loan meant for payment to oil marketers. The Senate is aware that subsidy on petrol had been off by this administration, thus we tend to surprise that payment we tend to are talking concerning currently.

“Senators are inundated with calls from oil marketers who were gift at the meeting with the Chief of staff to the President on the difficulty and therefore, we tend to call on Mallam Kyari to either prove his claim or retract it.”

He added, “It ought to be noted that a similar claim was made by the Minister of Finance on the foreign loan at a time the Presidency had not forwarded the request. The letter requesting for the foreign loan was submitted long once she was confronted with the very fact.”