The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has tasked security agencies to stop marketers from hoarding petrol to hike prices above the government rates.

President of the union, Comrade Festus Osifo, stated this at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union in Abuja.

He said, “The persistent shortages of petrol has become a source of pain to the Nigerian people as the current shortages are being perpetuated by players in the downstream sector in order to hike the price far above the government approved threshold.”

Osifo also said marketers have no right to hike the price of petrol, adding that “The government is equally demonstrating a high level of culpability in the unwholesome situation by its silence.”

The union therefore demanded immediate actions from security operatives. “We demand that the various security agencies, especially the Nigeria Customs and Immigration to stop the high rate of smuggling of the product across the West African countries.

“The various depots and other storage facilities, especially those owned and operated by the NNPC should be upgraded and made accessible to all operators to lift the product,”he said. (Daily Trust)