Fuel scarcity: NMDPRA seals fuel station, uncovers hoarding products in Kano
Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has sealed a major petroleum station Conoil petroleum in Kano for dispensing fuel above the regulated price.
Kano zonal coordinator NMDPRA, Mal. Aliyu Samani who lead a monitoring and enforcement team with journalists on inspection of sales at major petroleum marketers gave the order.
Besides, the agency also ordered the immediate reopening and dispensing of fuel found hoarded at five filing stations owned by major marketers within the city.
Aliyu declared that those discovered to have hidden the product and others noticed selling the above-deregulated prize would be sanctioned according to extent laws after compelling them to sell the product to the public.
Aliyu insisted there was no justifiable reason for artificial scarcity and a hike in the price of fuel as presently witnessed in the state, if the major marketers, who should have encouraged competitiveness in the market, opened for business.
According to NMDPRA zonal coordinator, 30,769, 000.00 litres of fuel equivalent to 641 trucks were allocated to both major and independent marketers in Kano alone between December 2nd and 18th DeKano alone.
“As you can see, we are not having the support desired from the major marketers because they don’t encourage competitiveness. It is now obvious that IPMAN has got the privilege to sell the product at N300 per litre because our major marketers have refused to do the needful.
” We discovered that some have decided to hoard the product instead of selling to the public while those claiming to sell with long queues are doing so above the regulated price. You can see for yourself how many major marketers shut down their facilities with a substantial quantity of products in their tanks.
” In fact, we have to compel them to reopen and dispense. We have also observed today based on attestation from the consumers that marketers are demanding a bribe of N1,000 from each customer before selling fuel to them. This is our observation.
The agency disclosed that it would soon beam its enforcement light on the independent marketers who are selling above the deregulated price to the public.
IPMAN in Kano had declared that government cannot compel sales of the fuel at the regulated price of N184 to the public when members buy the same at N215 from the Lagos depot.
Residents buy fuel as much as N340 per litre across independent marketers in the city despite the order and subsequent engagement of the Department of Security Service (DSS) with members of IPMAN in the state.
