Yemisi Izuora
The Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR),has taken measures to curb illegal activities of some petroleum marketers which it claimed is responsible for the current scarcity of petrol across the country.
The DPR had Wednesday announced the setting up of a 24hours surveillance team to monitor Petrol Stations and depots nationwide to ensure unhindered sale of Petroleum Products at government regulated prices.
The agency in fulfillment of the threat today ordered the sealing of the depots belonging Total Oil Plc,Eterna Oil Plc and De Jones Oil and Gas Limited for hoarding fuel.
Total and Eterna Oil were found to have hoarded 13.6million litres of the product respectively,while De-Jones diverted 19.5million litres of fuel.
The agency said such actions were seriously frustrating efforts of the Federal government to wet the country with sufficient level of the product.
During the monitoring of depots in Lagos yesterday, the agency also accused Ascon Oil Limited and Integrated Oil and Gas Limited of infractions in the discharge of fuel,and invited the affected companies for further discussion on how to normalise the situation.
Speaking at the end of the monitoring exercise, Director of Department of Petroleum Resources(DPR),Mr. Modeccai Ladan,berated depot owners in the country for hoarding fuel with a view to creating artificial scarcity of the product.
Ladan maintained that there is no scarcity of fuel in Nigeria because there is currently a stock of over 300million litres of the product,while the government has just paid some of the outstanding debt being owed marketers under the subsidy arrangement.
He said the agency would continue to monitor the depots of marketers with a view to protecting consumers as well as ensure that the country has enough of fuel to consume.
He also said the agency would not rest of its oars to ensure that depot owners and marketers who hoard fuel are punished.