Nigeria: Service Stations Closed by Dept of Petroleum Resources
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Monday, 02 February 2009 |
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The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) delivered on its threat to
clamp down on petroleum marketers who failed to comply with the new
petrol pump price as it shut down 10 service stations in Abuja for
selling above the approved price of N65 per litre.
In Lagos, a number of service stations, including the Conoil petrol
station on Tin Can Island and African Petroleum (AP) filling station
along the Oshodi-Apapa expressway were shut. The Acting Director
of the DPR, Mr. Billy Agha, told reporters that the stations
would remain shut until it is confirmed that they have complied with
the Government’s directive.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have rejected the new price of N65
per litre of petrol and threatened to call their members out on strike
unless government further reduced it.
However, representatives of major oil marketers stopped their trucks
loaded with petroleum products from leaving Suleja petrol depot as they
awaited the outcome of a meeting of Managing Directors of their various
companies said to have been called in Lagos to discuss the
implementation of the new petrol pump price.
The depot representatives said they were awaiting instructions from
their headquarters before taking out their trucks from the depot even
though they had been loaded and cleared raising fears of artificial
scarcity in the Federal capital.
DPR sent out four teams of monitors led by Head of its Special Projects
and Corporate Services, Mrs. Chioma Njoku and Zonal Operations
Controller, Mr. Anthony Nwaokoagbara to comb various parts of the
Federal Capital Territory at the end of which several of the violators
were sealed or ordered to stop dispensing fuel temporarily and given
deadline within which to adjust their pumps to reflect the new price.
PetrolWorld 280109
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