No plan to increase petrol price, says Kachikwu

Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, says there are no plans to increase the price of petrol.

There are reports that the minister said the price of petrol might be increased soon.

Kachikwu was quoted to have said this when he appeared before the national assembly joint committees on petroleum resources (downstream) on Thursday.

But in a statement on Friday, Uche Adighibe, media aide to Kachikwu, quoted the minister as saying that he did not suggest an increase in the price of petrol.

“The attention of the office of the honorable minister of state, petroleum resources has been drawn to some certain publications making the rounds on both traditional and social media alleging that the honorable minister of state, petroleum resources Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu dropped a hint of an impending fuel price increase during the joint senate and house of representatives committee hearing on fuel scarcity in Nigeria,” the statement read.

“The ministry of petroleum resources would like to categorically state that the honorable minister of state, petroleum resources all through his presentations at the hearing never mentioned nor insinuated the need or plans by the federal government to increase the current pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).”

He noted that the presidency had set up a special committee to identify the immediate and remote causes of the fuel scarcity with a view to finding both immediate and long-lasting solutions to the challenge.

“The committee has been in rounds of deliberations in the past few days and these discussions are still ongoing. The final decisions and recommendations from the committee would be passed on to the president and commander-in-chief for approval,” the statement read.

“Further information and communiqué on the resolutions would be communicated as and when due.”