The refusal of filling stations to make PMS available to the public is beginning to bite harder in Port Harcourt.
DAILY POST reports that filling stations in the city of Port Harcourt open their stations at night to dispense at N190 per litre, which leads consumers to patronize black market during the day.
To this end, the Department of Petroleum Resources has warned owners of fillings stations against selling the products above the approved pump prices.
The DPR has also threatened to sanction any depot or filling station owner who is caught selling above the regulated price, especially in Rivers State.
The Port Harcourt Zonal Controller of Operations of the DPR, Ibani Frank-Briggs gave this indication during a media briefing in Port Harcourt.
Frank-Briggs blamed panic buying by motorists for the long queues of vehicles at filling stations, just as he dismissed rumours about scarcity of petroleum products.
“When you see people selling above pump price let us know. We are aware that most of the stations are hoarding because we have been monitoring movement of products from the depot.
“We will clampdown on them,” he said.
The DPR official said there was enough petrol in the country to last through the festive season, but complained that inadequate manpower was hindering the operations of the department.
Comments