New fuel price: CSOs urge FG, DPR, PPPRA to closedefaulting 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.”