15 filling stations and 2 gas plants have been sealed by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Thursday for non-compliance to global best practices.
The DPR’s Operations Controller in Osogbo, Mr Ademola Makinde revealed this to available reporters after the departments routine surveillance on filling and gas plants.
Makinde said the survelliance was part of the core mandate of DPR to ensure that the masses were not shortchanged by the petroleum marketers.
He said the exercise aimed to check product hoarding diversion and selling regulated products above the approved pump prices.
Makinde, who noted that 29 filling stations were visited during the survelliance, said the sealed filling and gas stations were underdispensing and operating without a valid licence.
” Today, we visited 29 filling stations, 15 were sealed for underdispensing, operating without a valid licence and seven were not in use.
”Additionally, two gas plants were sealed for offences varying from operating without a valid license, installation and upgrade and non-compliance to safety standards.
“And one good thing about DPR rules is that there are penalties if you flout them.
“If you are underdispensing to a marginal level, we may require you to go and reset your pump and which we will inspect for possible reopening.
” But if there are critical infractions, penalties ranges from N100, 000 to N1 million, N1 million if by chance any marketer tampered with the DPR official seal”, he said.
Makinde, however, said the department and the petroleum marketers were not enemies but rather partners in progress.
” To the marketers, I have to emphasise this, we are not enemies but rather we are all partners working for the same goal.
“One of the mandate of DPR is to sustain marketers to grow their businesses, but that can only be done if they cooperate, do not cut corners and sidetrack DPR” Makinde said.
The DPR controller called on the masses to always report any form of sharp practices by petroleum marketers to the department for appropirate action.
“If anybody report any form of sharp practices to us, we will mobilise our official to such filling station and we will take appropirate action.
Makinde assured that the ongoing surveillance exercise and the tempo would be sustained to ensure petroleum operations and all facilities were kept in check, in the interest of the general public.
