There is no plan to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, for the month of May, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
This followed the announcement by the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, that the petroleum sector regulator has no plan to increase the ex-depot price of petrol in the country.
Kyari made the announcement while briefing reporters after a closed-door meeting with the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) on Monday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The meeting convened by the NNPC boss held amid the industrial action by the tanker drivers who had given NARTO a seven-day ultimatum to address the issues bordering on the increase of compensation for their members.
As a result, the tanker drivers decided to suspend their industrial action, with a promise to resume operation.
On his part, Kyari asked the union to expedite action to ensure that fuel queues do not resurface across the country.
“On the ongoing strike by Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) associated with the ability of their employers – NARTO to increase their compensation, leading to the industrial action, this we were not able to resolve last week.
“But we have given a commitment to both NARTO and PTD that we will resolve the underlining issues within a week and come back to the table so that we’ll have a total closure around the dispute – both in terms of government’s responsibility and then the responsibility of NARTO (owners of the trucks) to the Petroleum Tanker Drivers,” he said.