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COVID-19 lockdown: DPR monitors filling stations, warns against hoarding

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, urged oil marketers to ensure distribution of petroleum products even with the stay at home order meant to check the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The DPR Abuja Zonal Director, Mr. Buba Abubakar, gave this advice at the DPR reinforcement of sales and distribution of petroleum products in Abuja.

He said that any filling station found hoarding products would be sanctioned, adding that Nigerians should avoid panic buying of products

According to him, stockpiling of products at home remains volatile with the current weather temperature.

“Any filling station, we found not selling, first, we will find out why it was not selling if they have products, then if the excuse is not genuine, we will seal it up. My general assessment is that everything is okay.

“Nigerians should not go into panic buying, we are seriously trying to stop people from buying with Jerry cans because of the temperature we have today, it is dangerous. There is the availability of products, people are working, sales are ongoing, there is no cause for alarm,’’ he said

Abubakar said that the DPR had made adequate arrangement to ensure availability of products to dispense to Nigerians even in the hinterland.

“We have our surveillance team, if we get any call, remember our numbers are on our website. So, if we get any call, we will dispatch people to anywhere within the Abuja and its environs,” he said.

Abubakar while commenting on the depots shutting down, said the depots were at work, and that the DPR and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had stationed their representatives at various depots to monitor the development.

“We have reps and the depots are working 24 hours from the ships that brought the fuel to the tank farm, to the retail outlet. We have DPR, PPPRA representatives, along all value chain, we have our reps for enforcement,’’ he added

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the filling stations visited by the team in the FCT were opened but had low patronage as Nigerians complied with the stay-at-home order by the government.

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