Mr Francis Dimkpa, Chairman, Petroleum Product Retail Outlet Owners Association in Rivers has blamed fuel scarcity and price inadequacies on alleged lopsided policies of the federal government.
Dimkpa made the allegation on Wednesday in Port Harcourt while reacting to current scarcity and hike on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in Rivers.
He said certified retail operators are currently unable to directly purchase product from NNPC the sole importer of petroleum products in the country.
“Sadly, retail outlet owners now purchase petroleum products from middle-men and this has accounted for the hike currently being suffered by Nigerians.
“I should be able to get PMS directly from the NNPC rather than buying at a higher rate from a middle-man who bought from NNPC.
“NNPC should know those who are licensed retailers and the government should also respect the fact that they gave us licences through the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and as such should give us these products directly.
“If government is sincere in its policies on Petroleum Products pricing, they should be able to sell directly to us,” he said.
Dimkpa also blamed regulatory bodies in charge of Petroleum products distribution especially the DPR for not tackling the issue of uncertified meddle-men currently meddling with the distribution chain.
