Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, has denied that its officials were being investigated by Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC.

PPPRA, in a statement,  said: “The agency is not under any investigation whatsoever by  ICPC or any other anti-corruption agency for that matter.”

The agency, in its reaction to recent media publications alleging that its officials were under scrutiny, described the reports as a figment of the imagination of the writers.

“The public is hereby assured that the allegations in the publications are completely false and a violation of the code of ethics of journalism, which enjoins journalists to refrain from publishing inaccurate and misleading information. It is obvious from the style of the publications that they were a calculated attempt at rubbishing the current sanitisation crusade the agency is carrying out in the downstream sector.”

The agency wondered about the identity a purported Port-Harcourt based petroleum marketer, who wrote “a purported petition” against it, published by the media.

“It is stating the obvious to assert that the petition drips with falsehood, downright lies and complete mischief. It is, for instance, a fact in the public domain, that international inspectors have their standard fees, which apply in all the countries where they operate. It is on record that in the last two years, through the efforts of these inspectors, the country has been saved N700 billion, which would have ordinarily been paid as fuel subsidy.

“The mischief in this petition is further confirmed by the falsehood of the allegation that ICPC had invited officials of PPPRA over the petition. Indeed, nothing could be farther from the truth as there is no such invitation arising from the phantom petition to ICPC.”