Some unscrupulous importers and marketers of petroleum products may have started taking advantage of the price disparity between kerosene and diesel by mixing the two and selling to unsuspecting Nigerians as diesel.
This was disclosed to our correspondent last week in Lagos at some of the tank farms by some marketers and tanker drivers. They confirmed that a consignment of diesel that was imported into the country recently by one of the foremost importers of diesel was disallowed by officials of the department of petroleum resources (DPR).
The practice of mixing the two products have become more rampant following the recent slash in the pump price of petrol form =N=70 to =N=65 per litre.
At the moment, government is yet to another any reduction in the prices of kerosene and diesel. At filling stations visited by our correspondent in Lagos, diesel sells for =N=95, while kerosene sell for =N=60.
One of the marketers who claimed anonymity told Shipping Position Weekly that the increment in the price of diesel from N65 to the present price of N73.37kb has caused some oil carriers to mix the diesel with dual purpose kerosene (DPK) on high sea since kerosene is cheaper.
Lamenting the unscrupulous activities of some of these importers, some of the marketers lamented that dispensing adulterated products affect their machines and other sensitive equipment.
According to them, the only way to stop adulteration is for the government to ensure that the price reduction is uniform.
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