By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Operatives of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and officials of the Oyo State Government have sealed off 10 filling stations in Ibadan for hoarding petrol as well as selling above the N145 per litre approved by the government.
New Nigerian learnt that the DPR operatives during their Wednesday monitoring exercise seven filling stations in addition to three earlier sealed off on Tuesday.
The DPR team during the exercise which covered areas such as Akobo, Ashi, Apata, Olorundaba, among others compelled four filling stations with fuel but refused to sell to dispense petrol at the rate of N145 per litre as fixed by the Federal government
The filling stations sealed by the DPR monitoring team during the Wednesday exercise are Kesbash Oil Nigeria Limited, Swort Oil & Gas, Oduwoye Global Services Ltd, JOSFRAD International Venture , Roylab International Venture and Baley Nigeria Limited
During the monitor, men of the Oyo state Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) assisted the team in ensuring compliance at the stations forced by the DPR team to dispense the product.
Speaking on the monitoring exercise, the DPR Deputy Controller (Operations), Oyo State office, Mr. Sadiq Ibrahim said the monitoring exercise was to check the hoarding of the product and hike in the price.and that some of the filling stations caught hoarding the
product and selling above pump price would be sanctioned.
“Those filling stations caught hoarding the product would be charged for hoarding, while those who were selling above pump price would also be sanctioned. This is because government has not increased pump price. What we
have been able to do is to compel those hoarding to sell to the public
at pump price and later seal them,’’ he said.
Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Community Relations, Alhaji Abidemi Siyanbade declared that the team will continue with the enforcement until sanity returns, saying Governor Abiola Ajimobi had directed the constitution of the task force to check the hardship being faced by residents in getting petroleum product.
“The governor has directed that the task force check for marketers hoarding the product and those selling it above the pump price. What we have discovered is that some of the have and not selling, while some are selling above pump prices in the night. The synergy with DPR is to check their dump and force those who have it to sell at stipulated pump prices to the public. We will not stop on the exercise until the marketers comply with the regulations. We won’t not allow people take laws into their hands,’’ he said.
The Commissioner for Liaison Affairs and Special Duties, Mr. Fatai Salau and the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun who were also in the team attributed the fuel scarcity crisis to sharp practices by the fuel marketers.