DPR Seals NNPC, Forte Oil, Others For Flouting Regulation

dpr

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sanctioned some filling stations, including NNPC, Forte Oil, Mobil and some others, for selling petrol and kerosene above regulated prices, and under-dispensing, among other infractions.

The infractions were uncovered during an oversight inspection carried out last week by the petroleum industry regulator in the Lagos Zone of operations which covers, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, and Lagos state.

The DPR noted that these sharp practices have cost the public and the economy a great deal, as a lot of these filling stations were found to be selling petrol above the stipulated official pump price of N87.00 and even under-dispensing by as much as 2 litres per every 10 litres purchased by customers.

“In other words, consumers were paying for the equivalent of 10 litres of petrol while actually being served about 8 litres,” the agency said.

The DPR also completely sealed up the stations found to have been operating without a license, and have given them the opportunity to formally apply for a license as a means to regularize their operations.

At a Mobil filling station sealed by DPR, the pumps were found to be under-dispensing, while some 150 litres of water were found in one of its 30,000 litres premium motor spirit, PMS or petrol tanks. Also an NNPC station at Irawo Bus Stop, Ikorodu Road, had three of its pumps sealed for under-dispensing, while two pumps were sealed at the MRS station at Alapere, Ketu, Ikorodu Road.

The Forte Oil station at Oribanwa was sealed for hoarding 24,000 litres of PMS, and refusal to open pumps for testing by the DPR officials. Kaz Oil, which meters read N86.50 per litre at the time of the visit, under dispensed PMS by 0.8 litre for every 10 litre, thereby making buyers pay for the product at above N90 per litre.

Ona Ara Oil and Gas Station was sealed because there was no one to attend to the DPR inspectors, as the officials suspected the pumps were switched off and abandoned on the news that the DPR was in the neighbourhood.

At Forte Oil along Gulf Road, two of the pumps were under dispensing by 0.98 litre and 1.06 litre for every 10 litres. The monitoring tour was led by the Deputy Manager, Retail Outlets, Lagos Zonal office, Mr. Olusegun Dabo, and lasted for about four hours.

Following the inspection, the DPR Zonal Operations Controller, Lagos, Mrs. Chioma Njoku, told newsmen that the move was to restore transparency in the sales of petroleum product, and in turn restore the masses’ confidence in the government.

“Some of them (outlet) engage in manipulating their pumps that under-dispense to the public, which is a way of over-charging the buyers and they bear the brunt of it when caught.

“They don’t have any reason not to comply with our rules. We try to trace the problem back to the depots to nip it in the bud. We found out that some of them were selling above the ex-depot price and about 22 depots were sealed in the past few weeks.

“When we get them, they have to pay a fine of N100,000 to the Federal Government and then we have them sealed until the infraction is rectified. And when we catch them for more than once, we seal them for up to 90 days, after then their licences would be seized if such act persist,” Njoku said.