Department of Petroleum Resources has read the riot act to fuel depot owners not to hoard petroleum products in their facilities as it will heavily sanction any operator caught in the act.
A statement by the DPR’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr Paul Osu, said the agency’s Director, Mr Sarki Auwalu, gave the warning on Wednesday in Lagos.
The DPR director said the warning became necessary following reports received by the agency on the activities of some depot owners creating artificial scarcity by hoarding products in some parts of the country.
He said the depot owners’ nefarious activities were causing Nigerians untold hardships.
The department’s boss said from available records, there was product sufficiency in the country, stressing that “such practices by these group of unpatriotic citizens” was uncalled for.
The DPR director said the department, as the licence issuers to all oil and gas facilities in Nigeria, including the depots, would not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions on any depot found wanting in this regard.
Recall that media reports had earlier indicated that some fuel marketers had started adjusting their petrol pump prices amid the supply shortage facing private depots in Apapa.
It was observed that some filling stations in Lagos and Ogun states increased the pump price of petrol to N170 per litre on Tuesday from N162 per litre.