Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The Nigerian Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has warned filling station owners operating in Kogi State to desist from under dispensing of petrol to consumers, assuring that sanctions await any offender.

Coordinator of NMDPRA in Kogi State, Engr. Godwin Ogbe gave the warning on Tuesday while interacting with members of Correspondent’s chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists , Kogi state council in Lokoja the state capital.

According to him , the Authority will not tolerate any nefarious activities that will undermine the effort of President Bola Ahmed 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.

“Any marketer that cut corner or under dispense petrol or cooking gas in Kogi state, we will clampdown on such marketer by imposing heavy sanctions.

“You can not 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 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.