The Nigeria Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA) has threatened to shut down filing stations hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, to cause scarcity in Kogi State.
The Kogi State Co-ordinator, NMDPRA, Engr. Ogbe Orits Godwin, gave the warning in Lokoja on Wednesday during an interview with DAILY POST in his office.
Engr. Ogbe said the petroleum regulatory agency is aware of the alleged dubious activities of some marketers in the state who were reported to be hoarding fuel in order to sell to black marketers in the night at an exorbitant price.
While warning motorists to desist from panic buying, Engr. Godwin insisted that any marketer caught will be sanctioned in accordance with the laws of the land.
He recall that some filing stations in Kogi State, during the last fuel scarcity, were shut down while others were sanctioned in accordance with the offence committed by erring marketers.
“People should not panic about the availability of fuel in Kogi State. In the next couple of days, all the queues you are seeing in our filling station will disappear. Let me use this medium to warn marketers to desist from selling petrol in the night to racketeers.
“This is a clear sabotage to the government efforts in ensuring the availability of fuel in the Country. We are aware that some of this filing station have fuel but have decided to hoard it just because they want to make more money by selling fuel in the night to black marketed in the night.
“Anyone caught will be dealt with. We are currently partnering with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), towards monitoring the activities of this marketers who intends to short change the people.The public should please report any filing station that is observed to be selling above the normal pump price, hoarding fuel or selling in the night to Jerry can owners,” he said.
Credit: dailypost.ng
