Muhammad Bashir 
Amidst tension over the increase of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol or fuel, the Nigerian Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) Kogi State has vowed to penalize any petrol marker or filling station cutting corner by under dispensing product to customers.
New Telegraph reports that Nigerians woke up on Wednesday morning with news of prize increase of petrol by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to 1030 naira per litre.
However, the Kogi state coordinator of NMDPRA, Engr. Godwin Ogbe, said Authority is much vigilant to ensure customers are not shortchanged by any petrol marketer in the state.
“Any marketer that cuts corners or under dispense petrol or cooking gas in Kogi state, we will clampdown upon and face heavy sanctions.
“You cannot be sabotaging the effort of the federal government when you are given the liberty to sell the fuel based on what is being sold to you, therefore we will not tolerate any act of cheating in dispensing the product” he stated.”
Engr. Ogbe further warned filling station owners operating in Kogi State to desist from under dispensing of petrol to consumers, assuring that sanctions await any offender.
The state Coordinator in an interaction with members of Correspondent’s chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists , Kogi state council, said the Authority will not tolerate any nefarious activities that will undermine the effort of President Bola Tinubu in ensuring that the petroleum products are available for Nigerians.
“Filling station owners in Kogi state should desist from any act that is capable jeopardizing the effort of the federal government in the supply and sales of petrol,” he added
Engr. Ogbe who also warned marketers against black market racketeering, selling in jerry cans at night, urged them to get approval from the Authority if there is any reason to reserve fuel for customers.
He appealed to the general public to always report illegal activities of the fuel marketers to NMDPRA for appropriate action.
In his remark, the Chairman of Correspondent’s chapel of NUJ, Kogi State Council, Mr Segun Ademola Salami, said the purpose of the visit was to intimate the authority the numerous complaints of fuel consumers on the activities of the filling station operators that shortchanged the people in the state.
He advised the NMDPRA in Kogi to step up their monitoring effort in order to apprehend and sanctioned offenders to serve as deterrent to others.
