DPR threatening to Shut Filling Stations Hoarding Petrol

By Oluwagbenga Bankole

Following the indications that emerged last week that some marketers of refined petroleum products, who were not sure of the new policy direction of the President Muhammadu Buhari, have resulted to hoarding the product, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have threatening to shut down any petrol filling station engaged in hoarding.

The marketers believed that stockpiling petroleum products ahead of a likely deregulation would boost the value of the products when eventually they were made available to consumers after the sub-sector might have been fully deregulated, which automatically would result in petrol and kerosene being sold for higher prices.

Speaking with TOTALNEWS247, Head, Downstream Monitoring and Regulation, DPR Mr. Maigida Mudei said the DPR will destroy any attempt by the marketers to hoard fuel, adding that adequate measure have been put in place to checkmate their activities.

Mudei said that DPR’s surveillance teams would clamp down on filling stations hoarding petrol or selling above the approved rate of N87 per lite

 “We are going to shut down any filling stations found hoarding petroleum products in any locality. Our surveillance team will monitor filling stations and identify those that were under-dispensing products to unwary customers,” he said.

He noted that those filling stations that were horading petroleum products to customers were committing a crime and flouting DPR regulations.

He stated that She DPR would continue to ensure compliance at the filling stations and depots across the country until “normalcy returns to the system and the DPR is ready to sanction marketers and seal more depots that are found wanting.”

“The DPR would have sanctioned many more stations that were caught with sharp practices but decided to warn them due to the situation at hand.” Mudei.