DPR seals off six fuel stations in Rivers

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed off six filling stations in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, for selling petrol above the Federal Government- approved pump price and under dispensing the product.

The stations were sealed during surveillance activities by the agency’s officials in Port Harcourt yesterday. The affected stations are Harrison, Sobaz, Chinda, Romigba, Mikab and RUST filling station.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Controller of DPR, Mrs. Onyebuchi Sibeudu, said the agency is determined to ensure strict compliance by marketers, warning those who could not sell petrol at N87,00 per litre should stay out for now.

She disclosed that DPR has taken the fight beyond the outlets to depots, adding that measures have been put in place to ensure that depots also sell at government approved price. “We have gone beyond dealing with the outlets, we are taking the war to depots now.

Additional measures are in place to ensure that depots sell at approved price. “If the depots sign, the marketer signs and DPR signs to comply with the rule, there would not be compromise.

Anyone who goes against the rule will surely bear the consequences,” Sibeudu said. According to her, Rivers State currently receives an average of 47 trucks of petrol but the state suffers when it gets below that. “The figure fluctuates. Currently, there is an average of 47 trucks available to the state, and when we have this number, we hardly have problems, but when it goes down, we have problems.”

She warned marketers to desist from malpractices and not to buy at higher prices that may force them to compromise. “If you can’t sell at N87,00 per litre, don’t buy,” she said.

The leader of the surveillance group, Biriye Dokubo, noted that marketers were complying with the directive, but lamented what he described as shortchanging of consumers. Dokubo assured the DPR would sustain efforts at ensuring that customers are not cheated.