Youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said the recent hike in petroleum pump price is as a result of several years of bad administration in the sector, and absolved the minister of state for petroleum resources (oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, of any blame.

The group said poor administration of the sector for years, which saw all the refineries in the country dormant for 28 years impacted stability, adding that it is not a challenge that will be solved overnight.

In a statement, the national youth leader, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, said the decay of infrastructure, especially pipelines and failure to manage storage facilities to support the efficient operation of the oil and gas sector have all resulted in the enormous problems Nigerians are faced with in terms of pricing and affordability.

He said, "Nigerians must ignore the narrative that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) is responsible for the challenges they are facing at the moment. In as much we believe that some steps may ought to have been taken to mitigate these challenges, it must be put on record that the Minister is not solely responsible for the high cost of petroleum products, the scarcity and the economic hardship that has come along with it.

"There is a need for the repositioning of the oil industry especially by investigating the activities of the military and it's oversights in the oil sector before calling on the sack of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Lokpobiri Heineken."

The group has also pleaded with the federal government to look into the sufferings and hardship which the recent fuel price hike has created.