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DPR sanctions Abuja filling stations for overpricing, hoarding
By Obas Esiedesa – Abuja
The Abuja Zonal Office of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has cracked down on errant petrol stations in the nation’s capital for selling petrol above N170 per litre and for under dispensing to customers.
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, along with other major cities across the country had witnessed long queues at petrol stations following confusion over the pump price of petrol.
DPR during an operation on Wednesday sealed three petrol stations for various infractions bringing to eleven the number of such stations sanctioned in the past two days.
The Abuja Zonal Operations Controller, Mr Abubakar Buba, who led the operation, said the department has increased its monitoring and surveillance activities to check sharp practices.
Buba said the DPR was determined to ensure that filling stations operate by the rules and regulations governing the sector.
According to him, “This outing today is just a normal outing but this time around, we want to intensify the surveillance to make sure that filling station operators applied to the rules and regulations of their operations.
“We sanctioned about eight stations three stations which you have seen also because of overpricing under dispensing of products and few that have safety issues”, he told journalists.
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While assuring consumers and motorists that there was sufficient petrol in the country to meet demand, he reiterated the Federal Government’s position that there was no immediate plan to increase the pump price of petrol.
He commended most filling station owners in Abuja for not hoarding the product, observing that “so far so good, there are no queues, we did not find any station hoarding but we discovered few infractions which we have noted down and they are going to pay the appropriate fine.
“The infractions are overpricing to under dispensing”, he stated.
The DPR team visited six filling stations along the Kubwa-Kaduna Expressway. Some of the Stations include MRS Katampe, Conoil by Dawaki, Eterna, Oando, IBWAS, and A.Y. M Ashafa all on the same axis.
MRS, was sealed for hoarding of products, at OANDO, the gas plant was sealed for operating without a license while the IBWAS petrol station was sealed for selling petrol at N175 per litres to motorists.
Speaking to journalists, the Manager, MRS, Njor Ocholi explained that the station was not selling because it was undergoing maintenance.
“We are not hoarding products, for about four months now, we have not been operating because we did not renew our license.
“We just started operations last week and noticed that we have a faulty tank that is why we are undergoing this maintenance. We will contact DPR immediately we finish work”.
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