Marketers, not government are responsible for the disparity in PMS price - minister

The minister of State for petroleum, Timipre Silva, has stated that petroleum marketers are responsible for the disparity of prices of petroleum prices across the states.

The minister who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja also revealed that the government still subsidises the product.

Sylva spoke on the sidelines of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) stakeholders’ consultation forum on regulations.

The minister was reacting to the increase in pump price of petroleum by marketers from N165 per litre to N169, N184 and N218 per litre, depending on the area in the nation’s capital and other states.

He said, " can tell you authoritatively, we have not deregulated. The government is still subsidising petrol prices. If there are increases in price, it’s not from the government.

"It is probably from the marketers, but of course, I will talk to the authorities to ensure that they actually regulate the price. This isn’t from the government, we’ve not deregulated.

"But a lot is going on to ensure that the queues end. As of yesterday, I noticed that the queues in Abuja are easing off."