By Charles Maduka
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has attributed the recent rise in cooking gas prices to a temporary disruption in loading and distribution caused by the strike embarked upon by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, told State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu that the industrial action halted operations for several days, leading to an “artificial” price spike. He explained that movements and loading were delayed for about two to three days and that distribution takes time to stabilise after such interruptions.
Ojulari said some retailers exploited the shortfall to hike prices during the strike but assured Nigerians that as supply chains return to normal, cooking gas prices will ease in the coming weeks. He emphasised that prices should revert to previous levels now that operations have resumed.
He also disclosed that the Dangote Group’s agreement to redeploy affected workers and the restoration of activities were helping to ease supply bottlenecks.
The NNPC boss urged consumers to be patient as the distribution network normalises and promised improved stability in the supply of cooking gas across the country.
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