MONROVIA – Musa Hassan Bility, Representative of District 7, Nimba County, has strongly criticized the Government of Liberia’s decision to slash storage fees payable to Liberian terminal operators, describing the move as a direct threat to local ownership and the survival of Liberian entrepreneurs in the petroleum sector.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Bility, who is also the political leader of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), disclosed that the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) had informed him that storage fees would be reduced from thirty-five cents ($0.35) to just two cents ($0.02) per gallon. At the same time, he noted, new “technical” cost lines were being created for LPRC, which stands to benefit primarily from the change.
“The intent of the Government’s action is to divert money away from Liberian terminal operators and redirect it to LPRC, with the intent to weaken Liberian ownership and silence Liberian innovation,” Bility said. “The net effect is to effectively shut down Liberian-owned petroleum terminals and centralize power in the hands of a few. This decision not only threatens our energy security but also undermines Liberian jobs and families, as there is no way that terminal operators can remain in business if the Government carries out this action.”
Bility further argued that the government’s policy was in contradiction to its role of creating an enabling environment for the private sector. He said the move would cripple entrepreneurs who had already invested millions of dollars in infrastructure, technology, and workforce to stabilize Liberia’s petroleum market. According to him, these investments had provided jobs, ensured consistent fuel supply, and strengthened the economy.
Speaking not only as a legislator but also as the owner of Srimex Oil and Gas Company, Bility emphasized that the petroleum terminal business was one of the few sectors built and sustained entirely by Liberians. He warned that no responsible government should “sacrifice its own citizens’ businesses under the pretense of price relief.”
“I therefore call on the Government of Liberia to immediately halt this harmful maneuver, to engage in transparent consultations with terminal operators, and to ensure that any reform in the petroleum sector genuinely serves the Liberian people and the growth and development of the private sector, not political interests,” Bility concluded.
