No fuel price hike in 2013, says NNPC

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Sunday gave the assurance that the Federal Government would not hike the price of fuel in 2013.
There have been fears that the prolonged scarcity of fuel nationwide might lead to a price increase.
The assurance was given by the NNPC Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Fidel Pepple, in a statement.
The statement also said it had restored the Ije-ododo pipeline in Lagos.
A portion of the pipeline exploded while being vandalised two weeks ago, while the vandals fled.
The Ije-ododo incident occurred some months after another set of vandals destroyed a portion of the strategic System 2-B pipeline supplying petroleum products to the South-West and Ilorin.
NNPC said it had ensured the full and comprehensive restoration of the Ije-ododo pipeline to normalcy.
The corporation said the pumping of premium motor spirit had resumed in earnest to depots and tank farms in the System 2-B, spanning from Atlas-Cove to Ilorin.
Pepple gave the assurance that with the restoration of the Ije-ododo pipeline and the NNPC System 2-b pipeline, normalcy had been restored in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the length and breadth of the country.
“I can affirm to you that our engineers from the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited have finally fixed the Ije-Ododo pipeline that was ruptured last Monday by activities of pipeline vandals.
“Going forward, the good news for Nigerians is that we have resumed pumping of petroleum products through the pipeline and system 2b is equally working after the restoration of the pipeline,” Pepple said.
He stated that the recent fuel queues were basically due to the activities of pipeline vandals and the closure of a number of filling stations due to the Christmas holidays and not shortage of petroleum products.
The NNPC spokesman said the corporation has product sufficiency that can sustain the country for more than a month.
He stressed that concerted efforts by the to wet every part of the country with petrol to ease the movement of people as they travel from one place to the other before and after the New Year, is continuous and will be sustained.
Mr. Pepple called on Marketers to avoid the nefarious diversion of petroleum products to black marketers adding that stringent punitive actions would be meted out to those found wanting. He enjoined marketers of petroleum products to team up with the NNPC to ensure sustained supply and distribution of petroleum products into the New Year.
He also enjoined motorists to desist from panic buying stressing that there is no truth in the on-going rumours that there will be an increase in the pump price of fuel in January 2013, saying that the Federal Government has made budgetary provision for fuel subsidy in the 2013 budget which was recently passed by the National Assembly.