The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Thursday threatened to sanction any marketer in Katsina State who sells kerosene above the pump price of N50 per litre.
Muhammad Sani, the Operation Controller of DPR in Katsina State, issued the threat in Katsina during the third annual meeting of petroleum marketers and the DPR Office.
“I wish to state here that the approved pump price for kerosene by the Federal Government is still N50 per litre.
“Companies are expected to comply with this directive or face the wrath of the law for non-compliance,’’ he warned.
Some fuel stations in the Katsina metropolis and Kankia Local Government Area sell kerosene at prices between N70 and N130 per litre.
Mr. Sani also warned that the hawking of lubricants was prohibited, saying that lubricants should be sold in packaged, branded and labelled containers with production and disposal details clearly written on the containers.
He advised marketers to comply with safety guidelines in the transportation, discharging and dispensing of petroleum products.
He also urged them to follow the directives on functionality tests, while installing electric earthen systems on their facilities.
In his remarks, Abbas Hamza, the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Katsina State, commended the DPR for sensitising members of the association to their expectations in the oil marketing business.
Mr. Hamza, however, appealed to the state government to review downward the ground rent charges levied on members for operating filling stations.
“Before, we were paying N2, 500 per annum but now, we pay N100, 000; this is outrageous,’’ he said.
(NAN)
