DPR warns marketers against diversion, price hike

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Cross River has warned marketers to desist from diversion of product and price hike

It warned that anyone caught would face appropriate sanctions.

Mr Bassey Nkanga, the DPR Operations Controller in Cross River, gave the warning on Thursday in Calabar during a meeting with Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN).

According to him, the meeting was called to appraise the current fuel situation in the state with a view to ensuring that available product in filling stations were sold at N145 per litre.

He told the marketers that any delay in discharging the product to filling stations after 24 hours of lifting the product from the depot would be treated as diversion.

“What we have at hand is not too good because only a few stations are selling and even the NNPC filling stations are not selling.

“The product is not adequate, but we are expecting some vessels with petroleum product in a few days because the government is doing everything possible to put an end to the situation.

“We will invoke all relevant sanctions on anyone or group caught diverting the product or selling above the stipulated price of N145 per litre.

“I want to also appeal to all of you here to renew your operational license or face the penalty.

“If any marketer is caught diverting the product, he or she will pay N200 on each litre diverted, if it is a whole truck, the marketer will pay like N6 million and if you are caught selling above government price, you will pay N100,000 as fine, respectively,’’ he said.

Nkanga, who later went round Calabar on surveillance of the current fuel situation, appealed to the general public to have faith in government.

He said that efforts were on to ensure availability of the product nationwide.

Responding, Mr Lawrence Agim, IPMAN Chairman in the state, gave assurance that the association would work closely with the DPR to ensure that no product was diverted.

Agim urged the Federal Government to increase the allocation of petrol to Cross River, stressing that the current supply was relatively low.

NAN reports that DPR in Cross River had shut down six fillings in the last three weeks over fuel diversion and price hike.