The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Bayelsa on Friday embarked on pump price enforcement and also sealed off Ido Oil Nigeria Limited, situated along Melford Okilo Expressway, for selling above the official pump price.
Mrs Ejiro Ofondu, State’s DPR Operations Controller, told newsmen in Yenagoa during the exercise that enforcement was necessary in the efforts to regulate the oil price.
She said the exercise was to compel marketers not to sell the product above the official price of N145.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in Bayelsa apart from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mega Station, along Sani Abacha Express-way that sells at N145 per litre, other stations sell above the official price.
Among the filling stations visited by DPR were Sobaz Filling Station, Ekeki in Yenagoa, was selling at N210 per litre while Ereboter Oil along Swali Road in the state capital was selling at N205.
However, DPR on the visit, enforced the filling stations that were selling above the official pump price to sell at the official price.
“Our duty is to regulate pump prices, we are not suppliers and we don’t stock oil’’, she said.
Mr Ere Peters, Manager of Ereboter Oil, explained that he did not buy the product from NNPC.
“I bought the petrol from Warri Depot at N198 per litre, so, how can we sell at N145?” he lamented.
Also, the General Manager, Ebi Egrin and Sons Nigeria Limited, Mr. Austin Emmanuel advised the government not to quickly enforce price on them but try to know the source of their product.
“You can’t expect somebody to buy a product at a higher rate and sell at a lower price,” he said.
