The regulatory hammer of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has fallen on 11 petrol stations in Abuja who are culprits of overpricing, under-dispensing, meter manipulation and diversion of products.
DPR swung into action following reports of predatory pricing by some independent marketers who latched on to the unauthorised N212/litre pricing template released by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) last week to fleece hapless consumers.
According to DPR’s Zonal Operations Controller, Abuja, Mr. Abubakar Buba, the enforcement drive will remain a continuous task to discipline non-compliant stations while serving as a deterrent to potential culprits.
According to him, there is no room for any form of malpractices as the agency remains committed to ensuring uninterrupted supply of petroleum products to consumers across the country.
Aside from under-dispensing and overpricing, the DPR Zonal Head added it also conducts instant assessment of the quality of petrol sold to buyers, at any filling station visited.
“As is part of our regular exercise, DPR will continue to intensify its surveillance activities on all retail outlets within the zone and violators will be sanctioned accordingly.
“We want to make sure that filling stations are complying with the rules and regulations guiding their operations. We have noted few infractions and the culprits are going to pay the appropriate fines.
“These range from overpricing to under-dispensing. Those were the major infractions and we will make sure that this will be sustained,”
He reminded marketers that the government has not approved any price increase for petrol, warning Shylock businessmen to desist from hoarding petrol and creating artificial scarcity and panic.
Buba also urged marketers to stick to recommended operational standards to prevent unsavoury incidents of water ingress, especially with the rainy season by the corner.
He urged station owners to always check for the presence of water using pastes during discharge and before the commencement of sales, saying that filling station owners should ensure the use of tamper-proof manholes and other seal devices on petroleum products’ tankers to prevent sharp practices by tanker drivers who deliberately introduce water into products for scathing profiteering.
(The Sun)