Eight illegal filling stations operating in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital have been completely sealed off by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for committing different offences.
This occurred during field surveillance in Uyo which was led by the Operations Controller of DPR in the state, Tamunoiminabo Kingsley-Sundaye.
Kingsley-Sundaye in a statement noted that a certain number of illegal filling stations had been running operations in a few communities unhindered without adhering to the required standards proposed by the regulatory body. Hence the closure of these stations.
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Affected locations: According to him, the affected filling stations ran the base of their operations in communities like Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Ikono and Essien Udim Local Government Areas of the state.
Kingsley-Sundaye also noted that the stations had no proper identification to even start with. He said the stations lacked a name and an operational license.
“During the routine surveillance, our observations were not palatable.
“Some facilities do not have identification and if filling stations cannot be identified, that means they are not doing what is right.
“They could not even show evidence that they are stations doing genuine business. No documentation. Therefore, they have been shut down.’’
During the surveillance process, Kingsley and his men visited 15 filing stations, closed down eight for non-renewal of licenses and declared seven illegal.
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Underaged attendants: Kingsley then issued a warning to petroleum marketers barring underaged persons from acting as pump attendants in fuel stations.
In order to ensure that marketers comply with these directives, Kingsley said the organisation had written a letter to the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps urging it to prosecute erring marketers.
Kingsley further advocated for best practices in the running of fuel stations and promised to work with the Civil Defence to achieve that goal.
A Nairametrics report revealed that oil marketers must take a Maximum Efficiency Rate (MER) test before deciding to produce from any oil well. The report also details the regulator’s stern warning to penalize marketers that continually flout their rules with the withdrawal of their licenses and immediate sanction.
Bottom line: Many petroleum marketers have continued to flout the DPR’s standards for quality assurance while distilling fuel to the public. However, the move by the DPR to continually check marketers will further strengthen the moves made by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to ensure all oil marketers abide by world global standards.
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