FG Cautions Plateau Govt against Sealing Filling Stations

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

The federal government yesterday warned the Plateau State Government against arbitrary sealing of filling stations within the state, noting that it “is not within its mandate to do so.”
It added that under the law, it is the only Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that has the mandate to license and monitor activities of petrol stations in the country

The Operations Controller of NMDPRA, Jos Field Office, Ahmadu Fagge gave this warning at the weekend.
Faggae debunked the claim by the state government that petrol “is being hoarded by filling stations in the state. The product is not available. The efforts are being intensified to make it available.”
He assured motorists that the scarcity was as the result of non-availability, not hoarding.
He said: “We know there is no hoarding in the state. But there is unavailability of the product because of the spike of commuters during festive season.

“People are passing through the state. We envisaged this in the past three weeks. That is why we have been on surveillance each day to see that no one hoards the product.
“There is an issue which was raised by the state government about sealing of stations. That is not within their mandate. The NMDPRA has the mandate to license stations and to monitor them in the country.

“With due respect to the state government. We are on top of the situation. Between Friday and Saturday, we have received about 1.6million litres of petrol. The issue of non-availability is easing out. Citizens should not engage in panic buying. The product is now available.”

Meanwhile, a Manager with Dipdat Filling Station along the Bukuru expressway, Gabriel Norbert confirmed that there is no need to worry.

He said: “We are not selling because we don’t have. But we are expecting the product. We had a challenge because our truck broke down on the way. Hopefully, by next week we will have enough fuel to dispense to the buyers.”

Following protracted scarcity of petrol in Jos and environs, the state government had in a statement threatened to seal petrol stations that are deliberately hoarding fuel and creating artificial scarcity of the product in the state.

The Secretary to the Government of the State Government, Prof. Danladi Atu had in a statement said the state government “has observed with great concern the activities of some filling stations hoarding petroleum products with the view to create artificial scarcity.”

Atu had charged the Management Committee on Road Traffic Administration and Vehicle Inspectors “to go round all filling stations to ensure that this act is forestalled.”

He also directed a task force “to seal off any filling station found to be hoarding the products and auction same.”