TheCable

Ibe Kachikwu, the minister of petroleum resources, and Maikanti Baru, group managing director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), have been mandated to clear the fuel queues in Abuja and Lagos by the weekend.

The directive was issued on Wednesday at the federal executive council meeting presided over by Vice-President.

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information, who briefed journalists about the development, said contrary to speculation, the government has no intention today or in the near future to hike fuel price in the country.

Mohammed said: “The minister of petroleum was suppose to join us but he has to attend a very important meeting so that this crisis would be resolved.

“No. The government has no intention at all that to increase the pump price of PMS. Two, the minister assured the council that we have enough products till the next one month even till the end of January.

“Thirdly, this is winter period. There is always more demand for refined products for petroleum during winter period in the colder countries, this is what we are experiencing now.

“Also that it has been the NNPC that has been importing but he has assured. The council gave him a matching order that this fuel scarcity should not last beyond this weekend and they are going to work very hard to ensure that it is curtailed. He assured council that there is actually no cause for alarm.”

The information minister said Kachikwu told members of the FEC that the NNPC has enough fuel to last the country till end of January 2018.