The Abeokuta Field Office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Monday said it would sanction operators of illegal Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Ogun.
The Operations Controller of DPR, Muinat Bello-Zagi, disclosed this to journalists shortly after a routine surveillance visit to Magboro, Mowe and Makogi areas of the state.
Bello-Zagi drew attention to some notorious operators who cheat unsuspecting members of the public by engaging in under-dispensing of petroleum products.
“As I have said severally, we do surveillance all the time.
“ Some stations in some axis within Ogun are notorious for under-dispensing while there is also a proliferation of illegal LPG plants as seen in some areas.
“Some areas that we have identified are Magboro, Mowe, Makogi. We have noticed over time that there are lots of illegal LPGs and we are not going to relent.
“We will continue to seal them and when necessary, prosecute them to serve as a deterrent to their colleagues in the business,” she said.
On some aggressive operators, she said the agency would continue to dialogue with them using persuasion to achieve its set objectives.
She, however, stated that erring operators, who fail to retrace their steps, would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
As the Yuletide approaches, Bello-Zagi urged the public not to engage in panic-buying as “there are enough petroleum products to serve the people.’’
“My advice to consumers is that they should not engage in panic-buying. As you can see, the whole place is flooded with petroleum products.
“For the marketers, we are not going to tolerate any shortcomings. We are going to continue to work the way we have been working.
“Any marketer found wanting will be arrested.
“ In fact, the Minister of State for Petroleum Products has directed that within this period, any marketer that is found wanting for hoarding or diversion will be suspended for a minimum of six months, apart from paying the penalty fee,” she said.
