The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Plateau State has sealed no fewer than 33 pumps in various filling stations in Jos, for various offences including under dispensing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to motorists, faulty/unrepaired pumps.
The Controller of Jos Field Operation of DPR, Mr. Jerome Agada, who led his team to check activities of PMS operators assured the public that his organisation was fully on ground to perform its oversight function over marketers to ensure sanity in their operations such that the public can have value for their money, especially during the festive season.
He warned marketers, especially those that indulge in hoarding of the products to cause artificial scarcity, and those that may want to short-change the public to know that agency was watching them, noting that, “the Department of Petroleum Resources has sustained its oversight function over operators within this period particularly the retail outlet operators in Plateau State and the country in general, we have had sanity in petroleum resources supply and availability to the public.
“We want to sustain that as we go into the yuletide. The data available to the Department clearly states that we have huge quantum of petroleum product in stock. “Today, we’ve gone round to ensure that the products available in the stations are dispensed to the public so that the public can have value for their money.”
He said in the depot in Jos, there is over 26 million litres of the product; so the question of scarcity is ruled out completely.
“What we are doing today is to sustain the tempo and to let the marketers especially those who want to play pranks and cheat the people know that the DPR is by the corner.
“Today we visited 10 stations. At these stations, 16 pumps were sealed; while 14 were sealed for under dispensing, cheating the public intentionally, two were for manipulating the pumps when they saw us approaching. 17 other pumps were sealed because they are faulty; faulty pumps are supposed to be repaired immediately. When they repair the pumps, they will call us to verify the accuracy before we unseal them.”
Source: THISDAY
