The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kaduna, on Tuesday threatened to sanction filling stations caught adjusting meters to short change motorists, following the new pump price regime of N125 per liter.
Alhaji Adamu Garba, Head, Public Affairs unit of the Kaduna zonal operational office gave the warning after members of the DPR monitoring team paid unscheduled visit to some filling stations in Kaduna.
According to him, the DPR team has monitored compliance in the zone since the Federal Government announced the price adjustment from N145 per liter to N125 per liter.
He said all the facilities that the monitoring team had visited had so far complied and adjusted to the new price regime.
The official however, warned operators to desist from adjusting their dispensing pumps to cheat consumers by not delivering accurately or face sanction in monetary value or have their licenses suspended or withdrawn.
“The department is out to monitor the compliance of fuel stations on the decrease in petroleum pump price following the announcement by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the economic melt-down and the down sloop of the price of crude oil at the international market.
“The team has been on surveillance since last week, and so far there has been no reported case of default, as most facilities have complied with the new price.
“Even the market forces will make petrol stations comply naturally because if station A is selling at N145 per liter and station B is selling at N125 per liter, we know everyone will patronize station B because of the reduction in price,” he said.
The official assured the public that DPR’s resolute to ensure the filling station did not tamper with meters to shortchange consumers.
Garba said that one of the department’s daily operations was to ascertain the accuracy of dispensing pumps for motorists to get value for their money.
He urged motorists to report any sharp practices in products dispensing they noticed while buying fuel.
“Though it’s difficult for non-professionals to easily notice if a pump is dispensing accurately or not, but the public should endeavour to report to the department if they suspect a filling station is not dispensing accurately.
Garba said the department would use its measuring instrument to determine the accuracy of dispensing pumps.
“Any operator found wanting or their pumps not delivering accurately will be given a punitive sanction of monetary value, have their license suspended for some months and if there are a repeater of same offence, we might withdraw your license.”
He noted that no filling station was hoarding fuel but said those not selling did not have the facility to sell to the general public.
All the operators visited within the Kaduna city have complied with the new price regime of N125 per liter. (NAN)
