Petrol: Reps Kick Over N161 Pump Price

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has protested the hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, from N148 to N161.

Nigerians received the new litre price announced by the Petroleum Product Marketing Company on Wednesday with shock.

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The ex-depot price of petrol is now N151.56.

The Minority Leader, Mr Ndudi Elumelu, in a statement in Abuja, said the new price would only worsen the hardship already faced by Nigerians amid the raging COVID -19 pandemic.

Elumelu, a Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker from Delta State, noted that the prices of consumables and essential services were already high, adding that the new petrol price would be an added burden for the masses.

The caucus, while rejecting the pump price, called on the Federal Government to reverse it.

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“The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives rejects the announced increase in the pump price of fuel.

“This is because such increase will directly result in more hardship on our citizens, particularly at this critical time when the majority of Nigerians, across the country, are struggling to survive under the burden of the high cost of living and low purchasing power occasioned by the prevailing economic challenges.

“Any increase in the cost of an essential commodity like fuel will therefore bring more hardship to the people and as such should not be contemplated”, Elumelu wrote.

The caucus said the hardship in the country at the moment called for the government to introduce more palliatives to cushion the effects of the tough situation on the people and not new pump prices.

Incidentally, on Thursday, many filling stations quickly adjusted their litre price to N161.

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