Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, now sells between N200 and N210 per litre at the independent marketers’ outlets in Awka, the Anambra capital, and its environs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the situation in the area on Tuesday, reports that most independent marketers had the product with no queues.
However, the product is sold at the official pump price of N162.50 at the NNPC Mega Station at Amawbia, which had little vehicular queues.
NAN reports that petrol had been sold between N220 and N230 in the last two months.
A motorist, who identified himself simply as George, expressed worry that the product was still sold far above the approved pump price in the state as against what obtained in other states.
George urged the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to prevail on the marketers to bring down the price of the commodity.
The Acting Director, Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in Anambra, Mr Charles Ekwunife, said his office had been receiving complaints from the public about the hike in the price of the product.
Ekwunife, who spoke on behalf of the Federal Commissioner of PCC in the state, Mrs Emelda Okoli, said the complaints were taken seriously because it was “economic injustice against the people”.
He, however, said the commission lacked the power to act on the complaints and called on relevant regulatory authorities to wade in and stop further extortion of customers.
“There are also complaints of pump compromise by most of the marketers.
“These things are not healthy for the people,” Ekwunife said.
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Reacting to the development, the Chairman, Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria in the state, Mr Cletus Obiokafor, said the prevailing price was informed by the depot price of petrol.
Obiokafor said some of the marketere selling at N200 and above were those that had old stock.
He appealed to the people to exercise some patience. (NAN)