The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Taraba Operations Office, on Friday said that a shortfall in the supply of petroleum products was responsible for the current petrol scarcity in the state.
Alhaji Abdullahi Nature, Operations Controller, Jalingo Field Office of the agency, stated this while on a surveillance and enforcement compliance visit to marketers within Jalingo metropolis.
Bature said that a drastic reduction in the supply of the products from 18 to seven trucks per day in the state was grossly inadequate.
” We have earlier held a meeting with the marketers and advised them to maintain the normal price of the product which is still N165 per litre.”
The controller assured that the agency would continue to enforce compliance on the official price regime of the product, to ensure that the public was not short changed.
Bature also warned marketers against illegal price increases, calling on the public to report any increase in the pump price above the current price regime to the agency.
” Eighteen trucks of PMS were supplied to the entire state at the beginning of the week and suddenly, we are experiencing a drastic decrease in the supply of the product down to seven trucks.
” From those seven, four are for Jalingo and the remaining three for Wukari and Gembu, as you can visibly see why the scarcity of the product is looming.
“We have held a meeting with the marketers on this issue and they complained of a sharp increase in the depot price of the product specifically in Calabar from N152 to N159.
” On our part, we still insist that the current pump price must be maintained and the little available products must be sold at the current official price regime.
” We implore the public to report to the DPR office any marketer who sells above the normal price,” Bature said.
The only four petrol stations were selling the product when the DPR team visited the petrol stations in Jalingo town.
Several others were closed down due to the non-availability of the products.
