The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has sealed eight petroleum retail outlets in Warri and environs.
The Coordinator in Delta State, Mr Victor Ohwodiasa, disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday in Warri. Ohwodiasa said the retail outlets were shut down on Sunday over offences bordering on under-dispensing, operating without valid licences, poor safety culture and poor housekeeping.
He said that the erring petrol stations were located at Ifiekporo, Ughoton, Ubeji, Effurun/Sapele Road and Ovwian community in Udu Local Government Area of the state.
The coordinator said that the routine surveillance exercise was part of the regulatory authority’s core mandates of ensuring motorists and other petroleum products users got the right quality and quantity for their money.
Ohwodiasa said that the authority had realised that operators of the retail outlets adjust their meters at weekends and declared that the authority would continue to go after them.
“Our surveillance team was on the field on Sunday to checkmate the petroleum retail outlets on sharp practices.
“Twenty-seven stations were visited and eight among them were found wanting for various infringements.
“These facilities have been sanctioned, and appropriate penalties will be meted out to them in line with the procedural guidelines of the NMDPRA.
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“Some of them are first offenders and that notwithstanding, they will still face the wrath of the law. We have told them that we are keeping data of infringements.
“If they commit further offences, the punishment will be stiffer to serve as a deterrent to others. The essence is not punitive but of course corrective,” he said.
The coordinator averred that it was ungodly for petroleum marketers to shortchange customers.
Ohwodiasa appealed to the public to always avail the NMDPRA, Warri of information whenever they notice sharp practices by the petroleum marketers.
He assured that the authority would take appropriate action on such information and give feedback to the informants.
“We urge the public to reach out to us whenever they notice issues of under-dispensing, poor housekeeping, unsafe practices, poor quality of products, among others.
“Customers should get value for their money. They should get exactly what they are paying for.
“There could be mechanical errors in the dispensing machine which the authority has created an allowance for.
“Any mechanical deviation that is outside the normal range will attract the appropriate sanction to the erring filling station” he declared.
Ohwodiasa also expressed concern that motorists and other petroleum consumers were made to pay charges for the PoS machines used in their transactions.
He, therefore, urged the public to report such cases to the authority.
The coordinator noted that it was the duty of the station owners to pay the charges resulting from the use of PoS and not the customers.
He assured that NMDPRA would sustain the tempo of the surveillance until all marketers comply with the necessary rules and regulations.
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