DPR Shuts 31 Petrol Stations in Edo, Delta For Overpricing
File Photo; Sealing Of Filling Station[/caption]
The Warri Zonal Office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has shut 31 filling stations operating in Edo and Delta states for over-pricing, product diversion and other offences.
DPR’s operations controller, Mr Olumide Adeleke, who confirmed this said that 13 filling stations were sealed off for kerosene diversion while nine were shut for over pricing.
Adeleke who said that the action is in line with the statutory responsibility of the organization, which entails ensuring that marketers comply with the federal government’s directives on sales of petroleum products, added that the stations were shut between August 19 and 20.
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He said that this surveillance would be a continuous exercise and advised marketers to abide by the federal government’s regulated pump price of N87 per litre or be sanctioned.
“Henceforth, we will intensify our inspection and anyone caught will be sanctioned accordingly,” he warned.
The controller said that plans by the organisation to introduce an electronic means of effective monitoring to tackle unwholesome practices by oil marketers were underway.
“Once the marketers know that we are in town, they adjust but once they know we are out, they go back again, so it is a big challenge to deal with.
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“What we intend to do is to introduce other means of monitoring, using something like electronic monitoring devices. But that is still at an incubation stage,” he said.
Adeleke said that the DPR has standard and functional laboratories to test any product, adding that the inspection teams have hydrometers to test product while in the field.
Reacting to the recent kerosene explosion in a suburb in Warri, Aladja, Adeleke advised Nigerians to buy kerosene from accredited sources like the licenced peddlers, surface tanks and filling stations to avoid adulterated products.
