The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, yesterday sealed off 9 filling stations, including a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mega Retail Outlet, Enugu, for allegedly under-dispensing of fuel and other petroleum products.
Led by the Enugu Zonal Manager downstream, Engr. Sule Yusuf, officials of the DPR, who inspected the filling stations in Enugu, were shocked to discover that majority of petroleum product dealers in the state were cheating the buyers by under-dispensing. Despite selling petrol at N97 per litre, the petrol dispensed was far less than the quantity paid for.
The team had driven into the mega station following a tip-off by customers, but all the workers, including fuel attendants, disappeared into thin air on sighting the officials with their Sarafin Can used for determining adjusted metres.
The refusal of the staff to come out for the inspection of their metres after about an hour led to the sealing off of the station which had about 20 dispensing pumps.
Even as the DPR officials came back later in the day to carry out the inspection of metres after the mega station staff were persuaded by officials of NNPC to submit, most of the fuel pumps in the station were discovered to be grossly under-dispensing fuel to consumers at N97 per litre.
The acting operations controller and head of corporate services, Mr. Peter Ijeh, told the mega station staff after the check that the mega station would remain closed until further notice.
Total filling station along Presidential Road, Conoil, Bontus and McManuel Energy Oil and Gas along Ogui Road, MRS along Abakaliki Road and NARCO along Presidential Road, all in Enugu were also sealed off for under-dispensing fuel.
This DPR officers should please come over to Ikorodu in Lagos state and help us monitor all the filling stations along the Ikorodu road from Ojota to Ikorodu.
Most of the filling stations are guilty of the same crime as illustrated above.
Sack the staff there. Or if it is an affiliates station, revoke their license.