Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has announced plans to halt the lifting and sale of petroleum products nationwide for three days, starting midnight Tuesday, September 9.
In a statement released in Abuja by Billy Gillis-Harry, national president, and Joseph Obele, public relations officer, the association said the decision would be enforced if ongoing consultations with key stakeholders between Sunday and Monday fail to yield positive outcomes.
According to PETROAN, the planned action is aimed at resisting alleged monopolistic tendencies in the downstream petroleum sector and protecting the rights of workers.
The association described the move as a peaceful and lawful measure to draw attention to what it termed “emerging threats to free market competition.
Gillis-Harry urged President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), the Group Chief Executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to intervene urgently to avert a looming fuel scarcity and economic disruption.
The association called on Nigerians to remain alert and support efforts to preserve a competitive petroleum market, stressing that the planned suspension is a last resort to protect the industry’s future.
