The Delta Petroleum Products Monitoring Committee has urged residents not to indulge in panic buying of the product.
Chairman of the Committee and State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Prince Emma Amgbaduba, gave the advice on Monday in Warri.
The advice came shortly after the committee’s meeting with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
Amgbaduba assured that all bottlenecks within the petroleum industry that led to the recent fuel hike in pump price would soon be resolved.
He said that residents would soon heave a sigh of relief with the delivery of 20 million litres of petrol at the Warri depot and the expected arrival of additional15 million litres soon.
Amgbaduba enjoined marketers to support the government to ensure that petrol was made available, accessible and affordable to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.
The commissioner said that Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa felt the pains and sufferings of the people over the non availability of the petroleum product, hence the setting up of the taskforce.
“This informed Gov. Okowa decision to set up the product monitoring team to interface with all relevant stakeholders and ensure that fuel is made accessible, available and affordable to the people,” he said.
Amgbaduba decried the inability of the Federal Government to regulate and fix official fuel pump price under its purview, noting that non availability of the product has caused untold hardship to the citizens.
He, however, promised that the state government’s intervention would soon bring relief to everyone.
On his part, Mr Zino Onaemor, the Chairman, IPMAN, Delta branch, urged the Committee to interface with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and depot owners to eradicate the activities of middle men.
He said Independent marketers do not buy the products at government regulated pump price because of the activities of agents and middlemen.
Onaemor, however, said once the middlemen are removed and the prices brought down, marketers would be encouraged to sell at government approved pump price. (NAN)
