Economy
NO fewer than four Petrol Stations in Ibadan were sealed by the Department of Weights and Measures for under-dispensing of fuel per litre to consumers.
Speaking during a surveillance on Tuesday, Mr Ibrahim Isah, Deputy Director, Legal Metrology in the agency, said most filling stations visited are short-changing consumer.
“We are here to check measures wherever trade is going on. We have to check the accuracy of that equipment either at filling stations, industry, and market places where they are selling in modules or in the cement industry everywhere we are checking.
“When we do the verification they pay some token into the federal account through remittal. Here in Ibadan we came purposely for petrol stations and some industries,” he said.
Isah noted that visiting outlets of independent and major marketers in Ibadan, he was surprised that almost all, apart from Bovas, are under dispensing.
“Most of them are under dispensing by one litre. It means if you buy 20 litres they are giving you 19 litres and they will indicate that they are selling N250 per litre which is not so, some are even selling at N280 per litre,” he said.
He stated that these offenders have been told to pay the shortfall into the government remittal which is N5000 per nozzle.
”Most of them have refused to pay claiming our officials do not have the jurisdiction to check their pumps because they are dubious marketers.
“We now sealed most of the stations and it will continue up to Friday. These are the stations sealed and the errors in their pumps in litres: NIPCO Poly Road, 21.26; NIPCO Akobo, 21.57; Oduwoye, 21.57; and LEKLAW, 20.83, 20.74,” Isah said.
He said that in the ideal situation the offenders are taken to the Federal High Court in Ibadan where the offence happened for the law to take effect.
Isah said a meeting would be set up to properly educate the stakeholders concerned and resolve some issues concerning the jurisdiction of the agency.
“The present administration wants justices and frowns at cheating Nigerians of their hard-earned money,” he said. (NAN)
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Tags: Department of Weights and Measures Ibrahim Isah NIPCO
