Over 70 Per Cent Owners Of Surface Tanks For Dispensing Kerosene In A/Ibom Do Not Have License –DPR

Over 70 per cent of the owners of surface tanks used for dispensing kerosene in Akwa Ibom, operate without licence, an official of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Eket office, has said.
Mr Bassey Nkanga, DPR’s Operation Controller in charge of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Eket in an interview with newsmen.
He alleged that the operators were responsible for the sale of illegal products in the state.
“When I came to Akwa Ibom, I observed that over 70 per cent owners of surface tank for dispensing kerosene do not have licence.
“What we did was to invite them and we gave them time to come and regularise their business,’’ Nkanga said, adding “if you do not have a licence that means where you source for your product is illegal.’’
The DPR official warned that the outlets of dealers operating without licence in the state would be shut down.
“We gave them 60 days to regularise their licence and if they don’t, we will clamp down on on their business because we do not trust the source of the kerosene they are selling to the public,’’ he warned.
Nkanga also warned against under dispensing of petroleum products, saying that marketers caught would face the wrath of the law.
He said that marketers caught under dispensing petroleum products would pay N100, 000 fine per the pump used for dispensing the product.
The controller told NAN that six filling stations in the state were sealed by the department for hoarding and selling petrol above the approved pump price of N145 per litre.
He said that the department had come up with legislation to punish offenders who cheat the public.