By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja
Four days after the Federal government ordered filling stations across the country to reduce the pump price of fuel from N170.00 to N162 per litre, most of such stations in Lokoja, kogi state have refused to comply with the order,The Reporters, an online publication reports.
Our correspondent, who visited many independent filling stations in the state capital on Thursday, reports that the filling stations were selling the product at old price of between N170 and N168 per litre.
Some of the petrol attendants that spoke with the online media outfit, on the condition of anonymity, said they were yet to receive signal from the headquarters of their companies the green light to effect the change to the new price.
Meanwhile, transport fare in the area remained on the rise, a development transporters attributed to the refusal of the fuel filling stations to reduce the pump price of fuel to the new price in consonance with federal government’s directive.
Our correspondent observed that a trip from Gadumo area of Lokoja to the new market, Lokoja,on Kekenap, which was jerked up from N100 to N120 due to the initial increase in fuel price, remained same as at the time of this report among other increases in the prices of goods and services.
A Kekenap operator, Mr Timothy Alabi, described the adamance of the operators of filling stations to the Federal government’s directive on the price of fuel reduction as an unfortunate development.
” Despite the fact that the Federal government gave directive to these fuel filling station to reduce the pump price of fuel, to ease life for the motorists and commuters, they remain adamant and nothing is happening.
“These filling station managers claimed they have not received message from their headquarters, but if it is the other way round, they will increase the price of fuel immediately.
” In this circumstance, we cannot reduce transport fare, if we must brake even, not to talk of making profit in the face of high cost vehicle maintenance and competiting family demands.
” I am calling on the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPS) to swing into and force the filling stations to comply with government’directive,” he said.
