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FG Begins Full Deregulation …Says Market Forces To Determine Fuel Price
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) yesterday announced that it was no longer involved in the fixing of the pump price of petrol, disclosing that the interplay of market forces and not the organisation now determines how much Nigerians buy the product.
The agency noted, however, that it will continue to monitor the operators in the downstream petroleum sector to ensure that marketers do not abuse the freedom that has come with the deregulation of the pump price of petrol.
Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Mr Abdulkadir Saidu, who spoke during a press briefing in Abuja, explained that the job of the agency henceforth was to ‘police’ the marketers and prevent profiteering at the expense of consumers.
Saidu, who was represented by the General Manager, Administration and Human Resources, Mr Victor Shidok, stressed that one of the reasons Nigerians were not experiencing the real impact of deregulation yet was because of the foreign exchange challenges being faced by marketers who were supposed to bring in the product.
According to him, the shortage of forex, which he said was already being sorted out by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was making the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), look like the sole marketer for now.
“The government pronouncement that the sector is deregulated means that prices strictly obey the forces of demand and supply. You could have a regulator that will always stand as a watchdog to see how these forces play out and how the interest of both operators and consumers will be protected.
“In this situation, in a deregulated regime, you don’t expect that, because it’s different from price fixing where we have a clear say in the final price you see in the market. It is the market that is operating and it’s based on bargain power. It is based on where you source your products.
“For PPMC, it is a marketer, it also sells products. It also carries out analysis to say, this is my own price because I sourced for this product and it’s that mechanism they have adopted. It is based on their costs. It’s like bottle water which is produced in a deregulated market. You look at how much you produced it and what price you can sell” he said.
The PPPRA boss posited that its function henceforth is to ensure that operators in the downstream play fairly and consumers of petrol in the country are not short-changed.
“In a truly deregulated regime, there’s nothing like price band because you are free to source your product. All you need to do is look at how much you spent. We will ensure that all stakeholders play fairly.
“PPPRA remains the regulator of the downstream and will keep monitoring operators. The difference now is that we do not indicate or fix prices that you will sell because if you do that, it is price fixing. We will intervene when somebody is going beyond and profiteering,” he added.
According to the agency, there’s a code of conduct that applies to all operators, explaining that even in developed countries where they have fully developed system of deregulation, there are always regulators.
Saidu said that the confusion on the role of the PPPRA stemmed from the fact that this is a transition period, noting that very soon Nigerians will enjoy the choices that accrue from a liberalised market, even with the PPMC as a marketer like some private operators.
“The only difference we are seeing now is that PPMC still remains the only source of product supply and I think for other marketers, it’s because of the challenge of forex that’s why they are not importing, given the role forex plays in the sourcing of petroleum products.
“The product we are talking about is PMS (petrol). Other products have been deregulated a long time ago. Only PMS. PPMC is a marketer like OANDO. For PPPRA we know the trend in the market and we intervene when the marketer is going out of hands.
“PPMC will have to follow the rules and be treated like a marketer. In a deregulated environment PPMC are traders. PPMC is into business too. We are facing a difficult situation because foreign exchange is not allowing other marketers come in yet. That’s why the gains are not seen yet.
“If you are not seeing other marketers come in, it’s because they are still understudying the market and due to the exchange rate. This year has been a difficult year not just in Nigeria.
“When you are not earning foreign exchange as you should, there will be so much pressure on the little that you have and that’s what we are seeing. It will not remain like that forever. The exchange rate will still fall. There’s no more price band or fixing” he noted.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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