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The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed two filling stations in Gusau for violating its rules and regulations.
The Operations Controller in charge of Gusau DPR Office, Alhaji Yusuf Shehu, told newsmen of the sealing after a routine surveillance on filling stations in Gusau on Monday.
Shehu said that one of the two filling stations was sealed for selling petrol in jerry cans, while the other was sealed for selling the product at N185, which is above official pump price.
“You know few days ago there was rumour that some stations were selling above the regulated price in the state.
“You know DPR is the regulatory agency in oil and gas industry; our outing today is to ensure that the product is available, not diverted, to ascertain the quality of the product, and check price, as government has said no increase,” the controller said.
He said that the operation revealed 80 per cent compliance, with most of the filling stations selling between the range of N162 and N165.
“There was also compliance in safety and quality of the product”, the controller said.
Shehu called on fuel marketers to desist from hoarding, under dispensing and other irregularities.
He appealed to the public to avoid panic buying, saying that the department would make sure that the product was available to the people of the state.
The controller called on them to report any station found selling above the official price range.
Also, the DPR on Monday sealed four petrol stations in Katsina metropolis for selling product above government approved price.
Engr. Muhammad Abdulrahaman, Controller in charge of Katsina Field Office of DPR, disclosed this in an interview with the NAN in Katsina.
Abdulrahaman stated that the stations were sealed following routine surveillance to the stations.
“We discover that the stations were selling petrol between N170 and N18O per litre as against the government rate of N162 to N165 per litre, therefore, we sealed off the stations.
“We received intelligence report on the way and manner these stations sell their products to members of the public at exorbitant rates,” he said.
Abdurahman said that some of the petrol stations were hoarding their products only to sell to ‘black’ marketers at night.
He also dismissed as untrue insinuations over the increment of pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
“Let me dispel this rumours by some members of the public that government has increased the price of PMS (Petrol), this statement is false.”
The Controller said that the DPR in Katsina state was committed to ensuring that all filling stations dispensed their products in line with government approved pump price.
He pointed out that the sealed stations would be fined, adding that failure to pay the fines would lead to the revocation of their licenses to serve as deterrent to others.
In Enugu, the DPR Field Office in the State sealed eight petrol stations for dispensing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) above the approved government pump price.
The Head, Operations, Mr Afam Azuike disclosed this on Monday.
Azuike, however, said that three out of the affected petrol stations were later unsealed as they reverted to the government approved price of the product.
He said that the sealing of the defaulting petrol stations followed a public outcry over the weekend that petroleum marketers had arbitrarily increased the pump price of PMS.
He said that the field office on Monday embarked on an aggressive surveillance in Enugu metropolis during which they inspected 29 petrol stations.
“We discovered that the major marketers sold between N162 and N175. They complained about the cost of the product at the depot as well as the freight charges from Lagos to Enugu.
“We are aware that government has not increased the price band of PMS which is on partial deregulation.
“The current price band is cost reflective, taking into cognizance the international cost of crude oil and cost of importation of refined products,” he said.
Azuike said that the five that refused to revert would remain sealed and be sanctioned in line with the default regulations.
The head of operations said that they discovered that several petrol stations were under lock and key, adding that “we do not know whether they have products or not but the surveillance will continue.
“We noticed that there was panic buying of PMS in Enugu over the weekend but after this surveillance there will be free flow of products in the state.
“We want residents of the state to know that there is no fuel scarcity in the state,” he said.
Azuike appealed to commuters not to play into the hands of greedy petroleum marketers and to report anyone selling above the approved pump price.
“No one should be compelled to buy PMS above the approved pump price. Our office is always open and if you report defaulters we will swing into action,” he said.
Azuike said that the surveillance would continue in other states in the field.
PMS scarcity led to a rise in the pump price of PMS in the state in the last four days as some petroleum marketers sold as high as N210 per litre.