The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has commended oil marketers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for complying to the new pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol.
Mr Buba Abubakar, Zonal Operations Controller, Abuja, gave the commendation while monitoring some filling stations to ascertain the level of compliance by marketers, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
The Petroleum Products, Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had on June 1, announced a new price band of between N121.50 and 123.50 per liter for PSM.
Some of the filling stations visited include, Eterna Filling station Jabi, Total and Oando in Wuse zone 6, Rahamaniyya oil and Gas Mpape Junction, Yinzag petroils Mabushi among others .
Majority of the filling stations visited were selling PMS at N123.50 per liter to motorists
“ In FCT, I think the marketers are doing well, I commend the marketers because all the stations we have visited about 33 or 36 of them, only about two of them we saw selling above the pump price and we have sealed them.
“I hope they will continue to comply,’’ he said.
He said that the two stations that were sealed were Rahamaniyya oil and Gas Mape Junction and Yinzag Petroils in Mabushi, adding that both were expected to comply or face the penalty.
“As I am talking to you now, one of them Rahamaniyya has complied and we will unseal it immediately.
“The penalty is N100, 000 per nozzle, so, if we come to your station and we discover that all the nozzles were bad, we will seal the station completely and you will pay the stipulated amount.
“If it is 20 nozzles, you pay the amount as the case may be,’’ he said.
Abubakar said that the aim of the monitoring was to ensure that Nigerian motorists were not short-changed by marketers at any point.
“Since yesterday, we have been going around to make sure that filling stations dispense the exact quantity to motorists, which is one of the reasons that we are out.
“Also, to make sure that they sell at the government price. Secondly, to make sure they don’t cheat the public by under dispensing.
“So, we will continue to go round, anybody found wanting, we will seal the station and charge them the appropriate penalty,” Abubakar added.
He said that monitoring exercise is being carried out by all the DPR field officers across the country.
On the circulation of adulterated Diesel, he said that DPR had received about six complaints and it is working hard to ensure they were tested.
“We have received a lot of complaints, some of them we visited and took sample.
“We are now waiting for the analysis, although the Lab scientists are not available now but the few management staff that we have are trying to make sure that they do the analysis, so that is the status now,’’ he said
