The Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) has warned oil marketers in Nigeria to desist from hoarding petroleum products from the public, stressing the determination to end fraudulent activities through implementation of adequate sactions.
The zonal operations controller of the DPR, Mr Aliyu Halidu, in Abuja on Friday, said that the agency would embark on constant monitoring and surveillance of fuel stations in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs.
He said that monitoring the marketers was vital in curtailing the activities of fraudulent oil marketers.
Mr Halidu told Journalists that the DPR had taken a lot of actions against criminal minded oil marketers to check their excesses.
He insisted that consumers deserve products worth the amount they pay for.
There have been reports of manipulation of fuel pumps at fuel stations at the consumers’ expense, a trend that the DPR hoped to address.
“We took a lot of actions against the marketers that violated the petroleum regulations either by hoarding or by short-changing the consumers, giving them less quantity for their money worth. Some of the filling stations were even sanctions for a complete one year.
“I have it on record especially those that diverted Kerosene that is meant for Abuja market. Some of them were sanctioned.
“Those that short-changed consumers, we closed the filling station until the marketer rectifies the pump delivery. those that we found continuously cheating we closed the filling station for one month,” he said.