DPR seal 22 fuel stations in Jos

The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, in Plateau State has clamped down on fuel stations in Jos and Bukuru for non-compliance with official price for fuel and conniving with black marketers to defraud consumers.

Black market thrives as fuel scarcity hits Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez
So far, DPR has sealed 22 fuel stations during the routine checks carried out since Monday to ensure that marketers complied with the directives of giving fuel at government price and selling same with sound pumps.
DPR’s Operation Controller in the state, Idris Abubakar, hinted that DPR was working to ensure sanity in the downstream sector, saying the state had no fewer than 55 illegal stations not complying with relevant directives in their modes of operation.
He assured that appropriate sanctions would continuously be meted out on defaulters, so they could comply and do the needful in their operations.
Head, Retails Outlet and Marketing, Mr. Shehu Yusuf, who led the team on an inspection, tour to fuel stations in Jos North and Jos South Local Government areas, assured that illegal operators would be flushed out for the masses to benefit from the downstream policy.
Some of the visited stations were sealed over non-compliance with the government approved price of N87 per litre, selling PMS products in jerry cans to black marketers, selling with faulty or adjusted pumps, among other offences.
Shehu said: “We are sealing the fuel stations because most of them are not complying with the government price but sell at their desired price.
“Some stations sell at N97 and some even above 100 even when their pump price read 87.”
Meanwhile, the exercise has caused temporary fuel scarcity in the city.