The Katsina State field office of Department for Petroleum Resources, DPR, on Friday disclosed that about 450,000 litres of fuel supplied to the state were diverted insisting that diversion of the product remained the major challenge.
Addressing newsmen during the routine monitoring exercise, the DPR operations controller for Katsina Field Office, Mohammed Aminu Sani said the products were diverted through either nonexistent or dormant stations and accused both independent and major marketers of culpability.
Sani however said no fewer than twelve marketers that included both theindependent and major marketers, have been suspended for diverting the product assuring that the DPR would continue to beam its search light and monitor fuel supply to the state.
He stressed that prior to the current biting fuel scarcity, Katsina State normally receive 30 trucks of petroleum on a daily basis “but it has come down to as low as six.”
The DPR Controller noted that there are over five hundred filing stations in Katsina State majority of which are owned by Independent marketers “who are mostly culpable for all the sharp practices”.
He regretted that once the DPR goes out for monitoring, the marketers have a way of informing themselves and hence, often shut their stations “only to resume selling when they know we are gone”. While reaffirming the DPR’s determination to eliminate sharp practices by marketers, Sani appealed for change of attitude and cooperation from both the marketers and the general public.
