Aba (Abia) – Residents of Aba, the commercial hub of Abia, have called for the enforcement of the sale of petrol to motorists at government-approved pump price of N86 :50k .
The residents spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Aba on Tuesday.
They said that only a decisive action would make Aba marketers to comply with the government`s directive.
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The residents said that it was not justifiable for marketers to be rip-off motorists of their hard-earned money.
Friday Edet, a trader from Akwa Ibom, said:“selling fuel above the prescribed pump price is unfair because it increases the cost of transport fare and other things.
“Government should use task force and other agencies to hound them into complying because they are human beings and without some measure of force they might find it hard to do the right thing.”
Edet said that the idea of selling fuel above the pump price in Aba was despicable and condemnable and an act of sabotage of economy.
Another resident, Mr Simon Orem, a driver, said that he felt bad being forced to buy fuel above the NNPC-approved price.
He urged the government to increase checks on the fuel stations selling products above government-approved price.
However, a marketer at Dan Dollars fillings station, Aba, who refused to disclose his name, said that they were selling at N130 because they were buying products from third party marketers at N105.
He said that they were buying and selling to remain in business.
He gave assurance that they would revert to selling at the recommended price,if they gtt allocation direct from NNPC Depot at a lower price.
However, Mr Paschal Ezemandu, the Controller, Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Abia office, said that it had been a bit difficult to track down the offenders.
He said the offenders usually escape punishment because they receive information by scouts before officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) reached them.
However, he said that the office had designed other ways of monitoring the filling stations to ensure compliance.
Ezemandu said that the Aba office of the DPR had sanctioned many offenders and sealed the stations of some serial offenders.
The controller refused to disclose the names of the offenders, saying he was not authorised to do so. (NAN)
