Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has announced plans to form a committee to oversee the product’s distribution and pricing to ensure that unscrupulous marketers do not take advantage of the situation to defraud Edo residents.
WITHIN NIGERIA reports that the governor made the decision in response to widespread protests across the state over the scarcity and increase in the price of petroleum products.
Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, said in a statement on Monday that the governor will also schedule a meeting with all stakeholders in the product distribution value chain within the next 24 hours.
He stated that the meeting would be called to discuss the issues that were causing the distribution issues and price increases, as well as to find long-term solutions to the problem.
The statement reads:
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has studied the grievances expressed by protesters as stated in the letter addressed to him on the issue.
The government acknowledges the plight of the Edo people who have had to endure gruelling experiences accessing petroleum products as well as the exorbitant prices the product is sold for in the State in the last few days.
On account of that, the government is undertaking the following actions within the next 24 hours: set up a Monitoring Committee made up of actors in the private sector, civil society organisations and government, who will monitor the distribution and pricing of the product in order to ensure that shylock marketers do not take advantage of the situation to rip Edo citizens off.
Government will schedule a meeting with all stakeholders in the product distribution value chain to deliberate on the issues responsible for distribution hurdles and price hike and find lasting solutions to the matters arising.
Obaseki commended all Edo people for being law-abiding, also appreciating the protesters for being peaceful even as his government worked with all concerned to ease the “situation and build a progressive State together.”