The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed no fewer than 20 petrol filling stations in Asaba, and some neigbouring communities in a two-day major clampdown on petrol stations involved in sharp practices.
The DPR Taskforce team, led by Mr. Victor Ohwodiasa, Technical Assistant, Operations, DPR Zonal Office, Warri, also sealed several other petrol stations for under-dispensing.
The two-day exercise, which took the DPR taskforce team to Asaba, Issele-Uku, Umunede, Igbodo, Agbor communities, all in Delta North, witnessed a major clampdown on petrol stations found to be selling above N86.5 pump price.
Some of the petrol stations sealed for either selling above the approved pump price or under-dispensing fuel, through adjusted pumps, include, Odims Global Petrol, Dwell Petrol, J. O. Emenighe Petrol, NNPC filling station and Echemas Petrol.
Others include, Nero Petrol, Oando Petrol, Chyz Petrochemical, Churacx Oil Nigeria, EDGA Petrol and Alpha By Keez Petrol.At Alpha By Keez Petrol in Asaba and Gil Petrol, located in Agbor, the DPR team confiscated the fuel pumps and dispensed free petrol to many motorists amid cheering and jubilation by members of the public.
Leader of the team, Mr. Victor Ohwodiasa, who spoke to newsmen shortly after the operation, said the objective of the enforcement exercise is to ensure compliance to the new order on petrol pump price.
“The DPR is out to ensure strict compliance by all major and independent petroleum marketers. The objective is to discourage marketers from buying the product at a price they can not afford to sell according to the approved price.
“We are out for erring marketers, any marketer found wanting would pay a fine of one million naira and his license withhold for three months as punishment,” Ohwodiasa said. Some of the residents who spoke to newsmen commended the taskforce for the exercise and urged them to sustain the clampdown on all defaulting petrol stations.
Madam Esther Ikenwe, a food vendor in Asaba, noted that the exercise is the only way to enforce compliance to the federal government’s directive on petrol dealers.“I want to urge them to sustain the exercise, because if not, after today, these dealers will return to their exploitative ways and continue cheating the people,” She said.
The team also visited Issele-Uku, Umunede and Agbor town, where no fewer than seven defaulting petrol filling stations had some of their pumps sealed, while others were forced to dispense petrol free to motorists.
Mr. Goddey. Agusa, Head of Public Affairs, DPR Zonal Office, Warri, who warned owners of the sealed petrol stations not to reopen the station, said that any sealed station that is caught selling after the exercise would be dealt with.
“Any petrol station sealed during this exercise would have to pay a fine of N1million according to the directive fro our zonal coordinator, and if any of these stations reopens after now and continue selling, we will not hesitate to deal with such filling stations,” he said.
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