The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has sealed three petrol stations operating in Calabar metropolis of Cross River State for dispensing fuel to customers with faulty metres and also selling the product above approved pump price thereby short-changing consumers.
Among the stations sealed included Okono Nsa along Ndidem Usang Iso Road (Mirraim Road Calabar) and two others, while UD King, which was initially sealed, was later spared by the team due to the long queue of motorists at the station.
UD King was left off the hook after the team discovered that the station had no product in thier reservoirs after a thorough inspection by the NMDPRA officials who subjected the station to series of test but said that the station would have to pay a heavy fine for dispensing the product with faulty metres.
Speaking at Dozzy Depot, Nigeria Export Processing Zone in Calabar on Wednesday at the end of the inspection of fuel stations and four depots, Regional Cordinator of NMDPRA, South-South Zone, Mrs. Comfort Ajayi, threatened to seal more stations that are found wanting.
Ajayi, who spoke after interacting with managers of Soroman Nigeria Ltd, Phone Field, and North-West Depots, said she was out to ensure that the suffering by petrol consumers was reduced.
“Our authority will not hesitate to punish any marketer who hoards petroleum product.
“They should stop cheating and short-changing members of the public. How can you sell the product with a faulty pump above what you ought to sell?
“Why will you be dispensing with a faulty gauge to members of the public who are suffering, and tomorrow you begin to blame government? This is completely unacceptable,” Ajayi stated.
“We are against selling to people in jerrycans because they are the major perpetrators of this evil. They are the ones siphoning the product to other countries while citizens of the nation suffer.
“We want to ensure that the whole town is sanitised and ensure that those jerrycan marketers are put out of business. Motorists cannot continue to wait on a long queue,” she added.
