*Fuel dispensing.
Oscarline Onwuemenyi
09 December 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, has warned petrol dealers in the country against inflicting hardship on the people by hoarding the product.
Muhammadu, who made this known in Abuja during a surveillance conducted by the Corps on the emerging fuel scarcity in the country, warned oil marketers against hoarding fuel in anticipation of a rise in pump prices, terming the move as illegal.
Muhammadu also cautioned oil marketing companies on hoarding of petroleum products in anticipation of economic gain, saying it is illegal and any company found culpable of such an activity risks cancellation of its operating licence.
He said any fuel marketer caught hoarding the product or selling above the approved pump price of N145 would be made to face the wrath of the law.
Muhammadu said, “Any filling station caught hoarding the product or selling petrol above the official pump price would not only be sanctioned but will have such filling station sealed off.”
The NSCDC, however, appealed to members of the public to always inform it of any wrongdoings from any filling stations.
According to him, “There should not be any reason for us in Nigeria to be suffering to get the product and that there was no reason for any dealer to hoard fuel when relevant authorities insisted that there were no plans to jerk up the pump price of petrol.
“We heard from a reliable source that many trailers left depots across the country for states with the product. We have however dispatched some of our people to depots to get the names of the filling stations and the quantity. We wanted to do this so that we shall be able to trace where the trailers have been diverted to.
“Meanwhile, anyone caught, the dealer, filling station, manager of such station, the trailer and its attendants will be dealt with,” he added.
The Civil Defence boss, therefore, appealed to the marketers to bring the allotted supply to the different stations to reduce the hardship currently being faced by the people.
He assured the public that the country has enough stock of fuel and all effort is being made to ensure that the product is available across the country, adding, that “Consequently, we expect the situation to normalize in the next 24 hours.”
