The Federal Government of Nigeria has firmly denied recent media reports claiming that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to sell fuel at an inflated price of N1000 per liter. The widespread rumor, which circulated rapidly online, suggested that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, had directed NNPC to increase the price above the approved pump rate.In a swift and decisive response, the government issued an official statement on Tuesday, signed by Nnemaka Okafor, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Petroleum Resources. The statement, made available to news outlets, refuted the claims as false and ill-conceived, aimed at spreading confusion and unrest within the country’s oil industry.Nnemaka Okafor stressed that there had been no interference from the Federal Government regarding the pricing of petroleum products, let alone any directive to inflate prices. "The Federal Government is compelled to address the outright falsehoods currently being circulated on social media, which claim that the Honourable Minister for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to inflate petroleum prices above the approved pump price," the statement read.The government also condemned the false claims, calling them malicious and a deliberate attempt to incite public discontent. Okafor emphasized that the accusations were entirely fabricated, with no basis in reality. She challenged anyone with credible evidence—whether in written documents, audio, or video recordings—that could substantiate these allegations to come forward and make it public.
