Monrovia – The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, Senator Prince Moye, has cautioned Nimba County Representative and businessman Musa Bility against raising “false alarms” over the government’s decision to slash storage fees on petroleum products.
By Obediah Johnson
Recently, the Liberian Senate mandated its Joint Committee on Ways, Means, Finance and Budget, Judiciary, Public Corporations, Trade and Industry, and Hydrocarbon to investigate the pricing of petroleum products. The committee’s report recommended a reduction in storage fees from US$0.35 to US$0.10 per gallon and the financing cost from US$0.04 to one percent of CIF. President Joseph Boakai subsequently endorsed the recommendations, lowering the storage fee to US$0.05.
In reaction, Representative Bility—owner of Srimex Petroleum—accused Vice President Jeremiah Koung, Senator Moye, and Senator Emmanuel Nuquay of masterminding the move to undermine his business interests, branding it as political witch-hunt. He claimed the government’s action prevents him from raising revenue from his private tanks located at the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC).
But speaking on OK FM’s Morning Rush on Monday, Senator Moye dismissed Bility’s claims, stressing that the reduced fees benefit Liberians, not individuals.
“For Honorable Musa Bility to keep saying they took my money from me—that’s not his money; that’s the Liberian people’s money. He has benefited from it for so long, but it doesn’t mean it can’t stop now,” Moye said.
He clarified that while the LPRC may contract private investors to store petroleum products, this arrangement does not entitle them to perpetual control over storage fees.
“You cannot take money that you have not been working for. Is this something to say they’re witch-hunting you? No. Since this action was taken, Honorable Bility has been crying all over the radio, but nobody is witch-hunting him,” Moye added.
The Bong County lawmaker emphasized that the government’s move is intended to generate revenue for the Liberian people, not to target individuals.
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