Mkpoikana Udoma
26 December 2017, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – Some motorists in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, have commended the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, for its prompt action in sanctioning fuel stations in the area for hoarding of the products and other sharp practices.
The DPR last weekend, during a monitoring exercise, sealed a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, franchise station along Trans-Woji Slaughter Road area of Port Harcourt for hoarding about 40,000 litres of premium motor spirit, commonly known as petrol.
It also handed a notice of penalty to two other stations, namely EBZ, along Okuru Road area of Trans-Amadi for selling above approved pump price and under-dispensing of fuel to consumers, as well as Conoil fuel station at Amadi Ama, also for under-dispensing of the product.
Some motorists, who spoke to SweetcrudeReports at EBZ fuel stations, where the Port Harcourt Zonal Comptroller of DPR, Dr. Ibani Frank-Briggs, supervised the reversion of sales to consumers from N195 to N145, commended the agency for coming out for the monitoring exercise.
The motorists said they had already budgeted to buy the product at N195 per litre, but for the intervention of the officials of DPR, a development that had made it possible for them to save N50 for each litre of fuel.
“There is nothing we can do since we are told that there is scarcity of product. I have already budgeted to buy the product at N195 per litre.
“However, I thank the DPR team for ordering and supervising the filling station to sell at normal price of N145 per litre,” a taxi driver, who identified himself as Sunny Ajeh, said.
Speaking to newsmen during the monitoring exercise, Dr. Frank-Briggs said he refused to seal off the other two defaulting stations because of the toll the action will have on the masses, but assured that the stations would be penalised.
He issued out mobile phone numbers to motorists to call the DPR zonal office and report any discrepancies or sharp practices experienced at any fuel station within the state.