Eket (Akwa Ibom) – The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said it sealed 65 filling stations for allegedly hoarding and selling petrol above government approved pump price of N86.50 per litre in Akwa Ibom.
Mr Asuqwu Antai, DPR’s Controller Operation in Charge of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket, Akwa Ibom on Wednesday.
He explained that the defaulting stations were sealed in Uyo, Abak and Ikot Ekpene.
“Here in Akwa Ibom, from December till date, we sealed a total of 65 filling stations,’’ Antai said.
He said that in spite of closing the filling stations, the marketers continued to innovate ways of circumventing DPR’s operation.
Antai said the department had embarked on 24 hour surveillance in collaboration with security agencies to ensure that marketers complied with the directive of the Federal Government.
“They sell with our seal; they sell at night when they know that officials of the department will not be visiting.
“Our members will henceforth be going for inspections at night with the support of security agencies for surveillance,’’ he said.
He said that the department would resist marketers from selling above the government regulated pump price.
“We cannot continue like this, we all accuse government of insensitivity when government goes out of its ways to address the plight of people.
“We the people still go out to frustrate the effort of the government to ameliorate the challenges we have,’’ Antai said.
