Following the persistent scarcity of Premium motor Spirit (PMS) in the country, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kano and Jigawa zone has sealed off 96 fuel stations over diversion of the product and hike in price.
The DPR Operations Controller in charge of Kano and Jigawa states, Mr. Buba Abubakar told journalists on Friday in his office in Kano that the stations were sealed for diversion, hoarding, over pricing and under dispensing of the price which violate government directives.
“We have embarked on an intensified surveillance to ensure that the product released to Kano and Jigawa states is sold in filing stations in the state and at the stipulated price.
He also added that such effort was to ensure that the product meant for each fuel station in the state was delivered and sold to the public at the stipulated price.
Buba warned that ’’Marketers should respect the guidelines covering their operations. They should operate within the confines of the guidelines and ensure that those products given to them are sold to the public accordingly.
“The government is doing everything possible to bring normalcy in petroleum product supply and I wish to appeal to the general public to have faith in the government because efforts are on to ensure availability of the product across the country.
According to him, the supply of the petroleum to the Kano and Jigawa zone was not enough to cater for the need of the these states, adding that Kano needed 87 trucks while Jigawa required 33 trucks in the daily need of the supply.
“’As of today, the daily supply 26/26 trucks and Jigawa got only 6 trucks, and the shortfall is about 30 per cent for Kano and 20 per cent for Jigawa State”.
The operation controller assured that the DPR would not relent in its effort to ensure the supply of petroleum reach the consumers, warned filling station to always desist from diversion, hoarding of the products.
