DPR seals fuel stations in Imo, Abuja over infringements

The Department of Petroleum Resources has sealed some fuel stations in Imo State and Abuja for various infringements ranging from selling above the authorised pump price to operating without a licence.

The Zonal Controller of DPR in Imo, Roseline Wilki, led a team of officials on a routine monitoring exercise in Owerri, the state capital on Friday, while the Abuja Zonal Operations Controller of the agency, Abubakar Buba, led a team of operatives on a surveillance and monitoring exercise of some petrol stations in the nation’s capital.

During the operation, some filling stations were sealed for selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, above the authorised pump price.

“We are here to ensure that there is quality, to ensure availability of the product, and to ensure that you don’t have adulterated product and that there is no hoarding,” Wilki told reporters at one of the filling stations sealed.

She added, “We are here to ensure that the operators are selling within the government approved pump price.

“We will definitely sanction those that are not selling within the (government approved) pump price and for the adulteration; we will make sure that they (consumers) get the right product.”

Wilki explained that the need to monitor some petrol stations became necessary because of the outcry over the increase in the price of petrol.

She stated that the action of the erring independent marketers was against the directive of the Federal Government on the sale of the product.

The DPR zonal controller urged the residents in the state to disregard any rumour of an increase in the pump price of petrol.

She also advised them to report any independent marketer who sells above the normal pump price to the department and warned operators against hoarding and quality delivery.

Wilki said, “Right from the depot, we are going to do carriages inspection and ensure that products that are being loaded are within the correct spec.

Also, the Abuja Zonal Operations Controller of the agency, Abubakar Buba, insisted that there was no plan to increase the price of petrol, stressing that there was an abundance of the product in the country.

He noted that the exercise would become a daily affair to ensure that infractions in dispensing the product were eradicated.