Petrol now sells for N145 in AbujaFollowing the announcement of thePetroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) that subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) had been removed from January 1, the product was being sold in Abuja filling stations for N145 while others were under lock and key.Only the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) filling stations located close to Zone 1, Abuja, was still selling petrol for N65 with the attendant long queues of vehicles.Checks by Nigerian Tribune at AP filling station in Gwarimpa revealed that the product was being sold for N145, while most stations visited on Kubwa road and Mararaba were under lock.A cross section of Abuja residents condemned the move, saying that it was anti-people policy.This was coming just as the Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Honourable Suleiman Abdurahman Sumaila, maintained that the House would do everything possible to stop the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.Honourable Sumaila disclosed that as soon as the House resumed from its Christmas and New Year break, on January 10, the issue would top its agenda and a decision would be taken on the issue.He said:"We will use the law to stop this inhuman act. It is another form of terrorism against Nigerians that are already impoverished. We will not fail to salvage them from this bondage and enslavement."Labour calls on Nigerians for battleOrganised labourin the country, onSunday, called on Nigerians to wake up from slumber and roll up their sleeves for a tough time to strongly resist the fuel subsidy removal policy that would inflict unnecessary suffering and punishment on Nigerians with mass action.The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) insisted that unless the government changed its mindset to adopt patriotic and pro-people-oriented policies and programmes, the nation's citizenryweare in for a tough 2012.The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Reginald Stanley, on Sunday, formally removed the subsidy on PMS and hiked prices of petrol from N65 to N143.50 in accordance with the powers conferred on the agency by the law establishing it, in compliance with Section 7 of PPPRA Act, 2004.The agency after removal of fuel subsidy directed all service providers in the sector to procure products and sell same in accordance with the indicative benchmark price to be published fortnightly posted on the PPPRA website, as no one will be paid subsidy on PMS discharges after 1st January 2012.Labour, while calling on Nigerians not to lose hope until the battle against subsidy removal was won, also asked state governors to support the people and not with the presidency, which was 'promising them more money to spend, in matters that affect the welfare of the populace for Nigerians to have confidence on them.'Petrol stations stop sale in KwaraMOST filling stations in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Sunday, stopped the sale of petrol when news filtered in that the Federal Government had withdrawn the fuel subsidy.Nigerian Tribune gathered that the filling stations in the town were attending to customers till around 3.00p.m before the news spread in the townIt was also gathered that motorists, motorcycle riders, popularly called okada operators and other people experienced no difficulty in buying the commodity until the news broke.Shortly after 3.00p.m when the news of the removal of the fuel subsidy spread in the town, virtually all the filling stations closed shop and refusing to sell petrol to the customers again.At the time of filing in this report the filling stations were yet to resume selling of petrol as they were only selling diesels and kerosene.Unconfirmed report had it that that they stopped selling petrol with a view to adjust in their pump price to reflect the price the effect of the removal of the subsidy would dictate.Nigerian Tribune also gathered that the removal of the subsidy caught many by surprise in the state, as many said that they did not expect that the action would be carried out at this time since the Federal Government reportedly said it was still consulting on the policy.
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