24 January 2012, Swetcrude, ABUJA – Nigeria’s Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has advised fuel station operators to ensure that technicians working on their facilities were duly registered with it as the oil industry watchdog shut some stations, Monday, at the nation’s capital, Abuja, for engaging in sharp practice.
The DPR inspection team, led by Mr. Yerima Kolloni, arrived the fuel stations unannounced, discovering some tampering with their meters and dispensing less fuel to customers while some others outrightly sold above the official N97 per litre price.
Many of the stations were found guilty of dispensing less quantity of fuel than the amount paid by customers, it was gathered.
A station in the Kuje area was sealed after the DPR team found it was shortchanging customers of 3.7 litres of petrol in every 10 litres purchased.
The team also discovered that two fuel stations belonging to Unyigye Oil and Gas, which are affiliate stations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), were operating with gauges that are below the tolerant limit of 0.2 litre in every 10 litres dispensed. The stations were promptly sealed.
Another fuel station sealed by the team resumed operation soon after the DPR team left, forcing the team to return to the station and lock it up.
Kolloni, who ordered the locking up of the station, said it might be blacklisted and denied products supply henceforth.
According to Kolloni, the DPR team plans to visits more stations in the days ahead and would make such visits regular to prevent stations from engaging in sharp practice and reaping off customers.
