By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
In an effort to reduce the hardship caused by the hike in petroleum products price, and the sale of the premium motor spirit, PMS, which remains the major determinant of Nigeria’s economy, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, on Wednesday sealed three petrol stations for operating with faulty metres and also dispensing petroleum product to people with jerrycans.
Officials of NMDPRA, accused the erring filling stations of short-changing the masses after subjecting the stations pumps to test and discovered that what they were dispensing was far below the normal quantity.
The stations sealed up by NMDPRA in Calabar are Okono Nsa Petrol Station situated along Ndidem Usang Iso, (Mirraim Road, Calabar) and two others petrol stations.
UD King Petrol station along the MCC road that was unsealed and later spared by the team due to the long queue of motorists, who were waiting for their tanks to be filled.
Management of UD king fuel station was spared after the team discovered that the station had no product in their reservoirs.
However, the station was booked for payment of fine for dispensing the product with faulty metres after the station pumps were subjected to series of test by NMDPRA technical personnel who were on the inspection team.
At Soroman Nigeria Limited, around the NNPC depot, Calabar, the team met the manager of the company, Engr. Shola Daramola, servicing the trucks as he was busy ordering the trucks that had loaded the product to immediately leave the premises so that they can pave way for others to gain access in to the depot to load their product.
At Fynefield Petrol Depot, the team saw many trucks that had loaded the product full to the brim trucking out of the premises, while trucks that were in dire need of the product were asked to drive into the premises of Fynefield depot to load.
Manager of the depot Mr. Harold O’Neil conducted the team round the depot and was commended for the good works and asked to sustain the tempo so that truckers that were in need of the product can have access to the petrol depot.
Other depots visited by the team at the Nigeria Export Processing Zone, NEPZ, premises include, Northwest Petrol Depot, and Dozzy Depot which complained of not having product.
Manager of Dozzy Depot, David Taiwo, stated that his depot at the moment was operating at zero level due to non-availability of the product in his reservoirs.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday in Calabar, at Dozzy depot, Regional Cordinator of NMDPRA, South South, Mrs. Comfort Ajayi, shortly after concluding the inspection of the petroleum depots, threatened to seal stations that were found wanting, stressing that the organization would not fold its arms and watch petroleum products hoarded while the masses suffer.
She said, “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!
“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 sanitized and ensure that those jerrycans marketers are put out of business. Motorists cannot continue to wait in long queue.”
