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The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Ibadan field office, has sealed off no fewer than 50 filling stations across the state for various offences.
The move comes in the midst of current fuel scarcity across the state. Some independent fuel marketers in the state are reportedly taking undue advantage of unsuspecting public by selling the product far above the government approved pump price
According to the DPR, other offences the erring fuel marketers were sanctioned for include, hoarding of the petroleum product thereby creating artificial scarcity, absconding from station when people queue up to buy fuel and delaying sales of fuel product till late in the night to make illegal gains
According to sources around Apete, Awotan, Yidi Arola, an interior part of the state on the Sango axis, where one of the DPR teams inspected, the pump price of petrol sells between N105 and N110 per litre and an additional charge of N100 for every 10litres bought
Engineer Olakunle Ogunlana, Operations Controller, Ibadan field office who described the scarcity as ‘artificial’ said: “It is the gimmick of the marketers to make it look as if government is not paying subsidy but government is paying. Even despite the directive to cut down on importation, it is still the duty of importers to import as long as they have the license to do so”
Some of the filling stations sealed include: Fatoil located at the Sango-Eleyele road(for selling above N87 per litre). Romkol Global Oil, Apete, Solace Global Resources Limited, Apete, Muhatorm Petroleum Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited all in Awotan-Iludun, Mericom Business Heritage, Arola, Towafad Interbiz limited, Arola and Gilog Oil Nigeria Limited, Awotan.
Moore at Apata Odo Ona was sealed for selling PMS at N110 per litre and refusal to revert to government approved price and D-Nest, Apata/New Garage Expressway, Kuola was sealed off for selling at N100 litre.
Others are Sabara oil, Oleyo road, Ashipa. Fem Mesh, at ijebu Ode road and Arapaja junction were sealed for refusing to sell fuel to awaiting public claiming they left it in reserve