Ogheneruona Tejiri, Warri
Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Warri Zonal Office has sealed up six petro retail outlets otherwise known as petrol stations and an illegal gas refiling plant over sharp practices in Delta State.
The filling stations were sealed over offences bordering on under-dispensing and lack of operational licenses.
The defaulters were Bwede Filling Station, Pius A. Idoghor Oil and Gas, Eshegbe Oil, Fetega Oil and Sole Energy Enterprise all in Orhuwhorun Town, Udu Local Government Area.
Others were Falcon Bay Oil at PTI Junction and another Falcon Bay Oil located at Ugbomro Junction, DSC Expressway both in Uvwie Local Government Area.
Mr Goziem Chukwurah, Head of Operations, NMDPRA in Warri office led a surveillance team of the regulatory authority to seal the erring stations in Uvwie and Udu Local Government Areas of the state.
Mr. Chukwurah who spoke at the end of the surveillance exercise on behalf of Engr. Victor Ohwodiasa, NMDPRA Coordinator in Delta State stressed that one of the mandate of the regulatory agency was to ensure that the masses were not shortchanged by the marketers.
According to Engr. Ohwodiasa, “the purpose of this exercise is to ensure that consumers get values for their money. One of our mandate is that one litre should be one litre. Most of the petrol stations we visited were selling without operational licenses, we have to shutdown the stations and invite the owners to our office.
“We sealed six petrol retail outlets and an illegal gas plant for various offences ranging from lack of operational licenses and under-dispensing of petroleum products to the consumers.”
Engr. Ohwodiasa called on the consumers to report any petroleum marketer that indulged in sharp practices to the regulatory body for appropriate action.
The NMDPRA Coordinator in Delta State assured that the exercise would be a continuous one until the marketers does the right things.
While assuring the authority’s commitment to ensuring that petroleum product was available to the masses, Engr. Ohwodiasa warned marketers to desist from illegalities to avoid their stations been closed.
Meanwhile, a staff of the Falcon Bay Oil was apprehended for violating the NMDPRA’s seal on their dispensing machine.
The suspect was consequently handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution.
