Motorists in Abakaliki Ebonyi State capital, are lamenting over the sudden upward adjustment in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS commonly known as petrol.
As of Wednesday, the product in many filling stations in Abakaliki sold at between N180 and N190 per litre, as against the N162 official pump price.
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The new price situation is worsened following the inability of the Government-owned NNPC filling station situated along the Enugu – Abakaliki Expressway, to dispense product at all.
Efforts made to speak with the authorities in the oil and gas marketing sector in Ebonyi State on the new development proved abortive.
AIT however gathered that the sharp hike in petrol price was as a result of an industrial action said to have been embarked upon by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN across the southeast zone, in solidarity with their Imo State counterparts over their disagreement with the State government.
Dr. Adeolu Adewale, a senior lecturer with the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ikwo, and others who spoke to AIT condemned in strong terms the increase, calling on Government to quickly intervene.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)