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PMS price cut: Sales outlet owners beg FG for loans

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The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has appealed to the federal government to come to the aid of its members with soft-loans to survive the harsh effect of recent reductions in petroleum products prices.

The appeal was contained in a statement by the association’s National President, Dr Billy Gillis-Harry and Assistant National Secretary, Ogbuefi E. Erasmus in Abuja.

PETROAN, while lauding President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, for showing leadership and compassion to the feeling of the ordinary Nigerians by twice reducing the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as ‘petrol’, also noted that its members had incurred huge losses, which could send most of them out of business, if there is no fast intervention.

It, however registered its commitment and that of all its members to comply with government’s compassionate move of price reduction, and in the same breath pleaded with the President to direct relevant government agencies to urgently arrange an intervention fund to be managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and be given out to PETROAN members as soft loans to sustain their businesses with.

“We, the members of PETROAN, as obedient citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and partners in progress with the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are very willing to obey and comply with the new reduction in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit as this, we are confident, will help reduce the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigeria Economy.

“However, our association wishes to bring to the notice of the Federal
Government the challenges of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners in Nigeria. Our members have recorded massive losses from 19th of March 2020 when the first reduction was announced by the Federal Government.

“With the further reduction in price by the Federal Government our members again will lose a sizable amount of money, which will impact negatively on their buying power, which will inevitable spiral down to reduction in patronage of the government approval petroleum products distribution depot.

“We therefore wish to appeal to the Federal Government, PPPRA and other relevant stakeholder to come to our aid by urgently setting up an intervention fund to be midwifed by the CBN and disburse to our members in form of soft loans so as to cushion the effect of the PMS price reduction on the businesses of our teeming members and to guarantee replenishing reinvestible capital,” the statement said.

https://thenationonlineng.net/pms-price-cut-sales-outlet-owners-beg-fg-for-loans/