As part of moves to curb fuel scarcity during the Yuletide, the Department of Petroleum Resources says it will suspend errant marketers for six months if they hoard Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, and other products during the period.
The Head, Downstream Monitoring and Regulations, DPR, Ijeoma Onyeri, stated this on Thursday in Abeokuta at the first Annual General Meeting and anniversary of the Abeokuta Field Office.
Onyeri said the sanction was based on the mandate given to the DPR by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, on the need to curb hoarding and diversion of petroleum products.
Onyeri, who was represented by the Acting Assistant Director, Retail Outlets Monitoring, Lagos Headquarters, Isah Ibrahim, debunked the rumour that the Federal Government was planning to increase the pump prices of petroleum products.
He warned against panic buying by members of the public and hoarding by the marketers.
She said, “It is important to note that as we approach the Yuletide period, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources has mandated the DPR to suspend any defaulting marketer, be it depot or a petrol filling station found engaging in hoarding or diversion of petroleum products, especially Premium Motor Spirit, for a period not less than six months.
“Stiffer fines will be imposed in addition to the above.”
She equally said the DPR would soon launch the minimum industry safety training for downstream operations as part of initiatives to improve on safety of life and property in downstream sector operations.
The DPR Director, Mordecai Ladan, who was also represented by the Zonal Operations Controller, Northeast, Alhaji Idris Zoaka, expressed hope that fuel scarcity would be a thing of the past from this Yuletide.
In her welcome address, the Operations Controller, Abeokuta Field Office, DPR, Mrs Muinat Bello-Zagi, said the AGM offered stakeholders an opportunity to interact, share knowledge, ideas and experiences in order to continually improve on the department’s activities in Ogun and the country at large.
Source : punchng.com
