The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)

  • DPR seals eight petrol stations for selling at N220 per litre

    DPR seals eight petrol stations for selling at N220 per litre

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Eket field office has sealed 8 petrol filling stations for their refusal to revert to the government approved pump price of N145 per litre.
    The DPR Operations Controller in Eket, Mr Tamunoiminabo Kingsley-Sundaye disclosed this to newsmen after while leading the surveillance team of the department to petrol stations across the state yesterday.
    He said the eight filling stations were also sealed for various offences including diversion, and hoarding of the product.
    Kingsley-Sundaye said that the filling stations sealed were located in Eket and Uyo, Local Government Areas of the state.
    “The DPR surveillance team visited 25 filling stations in Eket, it was disheartening that one outlet who got product from NNPC station in Calabar, diverted the product.
    “We have sanctioned those who violated government regulations and they are few who later comply and ready to reverse to government approved pump price.
    “And others were selling above pump price of N220 per litre, it is unacceptable, those stations have been penalised and sealed.
    Kingsley-Sundaye said that the department had begun surveillance to ensure sanity until normalcy return to the country.
    He said that those filling stations sealed would be sanctioned and pay penalty to the Federal Government purse.
    The Operations Controller observed that major marketers in Uyo are trying while most Independent marketers were selling above government approved pump price of N145 per litre.

    Also read:  Petrol pump price hits N250 per litre

    He said that those stations who agreed to reverse to N145 per litre were supervised to sell their product to large extent in the areas.
    Kingsley-Sundaye described the attitude of some of the marketers who refused to reverse their pump price as “impunity”.
    “Surprisingly some of them show the attitude of impunity and therefore those once were been shutdown and appropriate sanction will be prescribed by DPR regulation,” Kingsley-Sundaye said.
    He warned private depot owners and Independent marketers to sell their products at government regulated price, saying that there are rule and regulations guiding petroleum sector.
    “Any depot who flaunt the government laws would be dealt with, everybody must respect the laws of the land,” he said.
    Kingsley-Sundaye appealed to the public who buy fuel at the mega station to be orderly and behave themselves within the ambit of the law.
    He called on marketers to bring evidence of buying fuel above ex- depot price from the depots so that the department would dealt with private depot owners who flaunt government laws.
  • DPR dispenses 8,000 litres of petrol to motorists

    DPR dispenses 8,000 litres of petrol to motorists

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed 8 filling stations in Gusau for allegedly selling petrol above N145 and dispensed 8,000 litres of the product free of charge to motorists.

    The Operations Controller in charge of DPR field office, Gusau, Mr Ango Haruna, disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Gusau on Friday after surveillance patrol to some filling stations in Gusau on Friday.

    The Controller also said that the department, from Monday to Friday, sealed the stations in the state over various offences.

    He said the department would also dispense 8,000 litres of petrol belonging to one of the sealed stations Sanusi IBS Nigeria Limited, Gusau, and would be given to motorists free of charge.

    He said the station had been operating against DPR rules and regulations.

    “We have warned the owner of this filling station three times this week over selling of the commodity, but he refused to comply with the federal directives.

    “Because in a situation like this we don’t want to seal a filling station, especially on a high way like this but we have no option than to seal it because of it’s level of offences.

    “We received different reports from members of the public that the station was selling the fuel at N230 per litre. when we came, the filling station operators stopped selling the commodity and told us that it had finished,” he said.

    “But we discovered that they have 8,000 litres of petrol, therefore, we are going to give the product free of charge to motorists who have been here for hours,” he added.

    According to him, the station will be sealed until further noticed.

    “The DPR is responsible for ensuring effective distribution and sales of fuel and would not relent in its efforts to ensure that filling station owners comply with the DPR rules and regulations.”

    NAN reported that most of the filling stations owned by the independent marketers in the state were shut down while only stations owned by major marketers were dispensing the product.

    The department, recently sanctioned 10 stations in the state for selling the commodity above government official price.

  • Fuel scarcity will end soon, DPR assures Nigerians

    Fuel scarcity will end soon, DPR assures Nigerians

    The Department of Petroleum Resources ( DPR ) on Thursday assured Nigerians that the lingering scarcity of petrol being experienced across the country will come to an end in the next few days.

    Mr Mordecai Ladan, the Director of DPR, gave the assurance after his inspection visit to some private depots in Lagos.

    Ladan said: “Petroleum products are coming in gradually; in most of the depots visited, some are being discharged, while there is assurance that some will come in again within 48 hours.

    “I think with all we have seen now in the depots visited, petrol should be available in all filling stations across the country in few days time.

    “The scarcity of petrol will soon ease out in days to come,” he assured Nigerians.

    Ladan appealed to the depots to focus more supply on the independent marketers’ filling stations, saying that they were most affected by scarcity of petrol.

    He said that independent marketers have filling stations in most major locations in the country, and most of them had not received supply for weeks.

    The DPR inspection team visited Folawiyo Energy Ltd., and NIPCO Tank Farm in Apapa.

    Read also: DPR, Oyo govt seal 10 filling stations in Ibadan

    At NIPCO, a vessel was discharging over 23 million litres of petroleum as at the time DPR team reached the tank farm.

    Mr Taofeek Lawal, the Head, Corporate Communications of NIPCO, said that about 300 petroleum tankers were waiting to load the product.

    Lawal said that with 23 million litres of petrol, the company would load over 600 tankers in two days.

    He said that NNPC had assured the company that another vessel carrying the product would arrive on Saturday.

    Lawal assured the DPR team that the company would work tirelessly to ensure that scarcity of petrol was ease out in few days.

    At Folawiyo Energy Ltd., Mr Dipo Makanjuola said that the depot had about six million litres of petrol and had been operating 24 hours to ensure that Nigerians get the product.

    Makanjuola said that the product belonged to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) and they were loading the product according to the directive of the corporation.

    According to him, the last time we received the product from NNPC was on December 23 and that is what we are loading; we hope to get another supply by Saturday.

    NAN

  • DPR seals four petrol stations for price hike

    DPR seals four petrol stations for price hike

    Officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed up four filling stations in Edo State for selling premium motor spirit otherwise known as fuel above government official approved prices of N145 per litre.

    The sealing of the filing stations followed outcry by members of the public that most filling stations were dispensing fuel at prices as much as N160 per litre.

    Affected filling stations were Foadal Oil at Airport road, St Taye Oil and Gas at New Benin, Asoline at Sapele road, Raptor oil and NIPCO Oil both at Upper Mission road.

    Mr Enelama Victor, Head of Downstream, DPR Benin Zone who led the operation around parts of Benin City; the Edo state capital said the current hike in prices of PMS was due to the unwholesome activities of racketeers and middlemen hoarding the products so as to tarnish the image of the federal government.

    Enelama said the federal government has not increase the price of fuel and that the distribution chain of the products by DPR was still being maintained.

    He added that fuel is still being loaded to all the depots across the country.

    The Benin DPR boss stated that his department was tackling the menace of racketeers and middlemen merchants in the industry which included the withdrawal of licences from marketers who engage in product hoarding and other unwholesome practices.

    He assured that government would ensure that the distribution chain of petroleum products were not altered by marketers and cautioned motorists and other consumers not to engage in panic buying.

  • No truth to fuel scarcity in Ogun – DPR

    No truth to fuel scarcity in Ogun – DPR

    • Urges consumers not to panic

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Wednesday said there was no truth to the information making the round that “scarcity of fuel” had hit Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, and Sagamu area of the state.

    The Nation gathered that the rumoured scarcity of petroleum in the state was fueled by the United Labour Congress (ULC) strike which a section of the oil workers joined on Monday, but later suspended on Wednesday.

    The DPR urged consumers in Ogun  not to resort to “panic purchase” as there were enough petroleum products in all the retail outlets visited in the state by its field Operatives, dismissed the scarcity and attendant worries as one induced by “rumours.”

    The DPR Chief Inspection Officer, Lagos Zonal office, Umaru Mohammed, made this known to reporters in Abeokuta, after he led a team of officers to inspect over a dozen filling stations in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, and its environs.

    Umaru added that the team elected to take a proactive step in line with the DPR mandate to “do a general check on distribution pattern and volume of sales going on in the retail outlets in Ogun state to guard against hoarding of the products.”

    He said: “the rumours have gone round that there is no fuel. People said tank farms are not loading. We are trying to be proactive and tell the public that there should be no panic buying. And we have a lot of products in the retail outlets. We have gone round to see for ourselves and also asked the taxi drivers.

    “We want to assure the public that all these are mere rumours. There should not be panic purchase. Things are normal.”

  • NNPC to indigenous firms: Bid for 30 marginal fields

    NNPC to indigenous firms: Bid for 30 marginal fields

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has urged members of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) to participate in the forthcoming bid round for about 30 marginal oil fields which would soon be flagged off by the Federal Government.

    The Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, gave this charge when he received a delegation of IPPG led by its chairman, Engr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, where he also urged them to take advantage of the low crude oil price regime to develop their capacity and acquire technology.

    Dr. Baru stated that there were lots of opportunities in the marginal fields which would soon be available urging the IPPG to work hand-in-hand with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to ensure that they met the conditions that would be required from bidders.

    NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu that made this disclosure in a statement Friday, quoted Baru as saying that: “The marginal oil field lease renewal is an opportunity for your group. You will need to engage the DPR early in discussion to find out the conditions that the Federal Government is interested in. For example, the supply of gas to power plants and fertilizer plants and I think your group will be successful.”

    The NNPC GMD also tasked the IPPG members to ramp up their collective production from 10 per cent of national production to fifty per cent in the next 10 years in order to increase the footprint of indigenous companies in the upstream sub-sector as is the case in the downstream.

    The NNPC helmsman stated that the Corporation was passionate about collaborating with the indigenous producers in order to grow their capacity and participation in the exploration and production sub-sector in line with government’s local content policy.

    He said the Corporation was very proud of them and was looking forward to a time when about ninety per cent of upstream operations in the country would be controlled by them.

    Baru applauded members of the group for their productive community engagement which had stemmed the incidence of pipeline sabotage along the Trans Forcados Pipeline and enjoined them to extend similar gesture to the communities around the other crude oil lines to help stabilize national production.

    Earlier, the Chairman of the Group, Engr. Adeyemi-Bero, who made a presentation to the NNPC management, said the group was made up of twenty five active indigenous producers and driven by the passion to support the 12 Business Focus Areas of the current management of NNPC and the Seven Big Wins of the Federal Government.

    The Chairman praised the Federal Government for initiating the Joint Venture cash call exit programme, stressing that the move would bolster their activities in the upstream sub-sector.

    The IPPG was formed a year ago with the mandate to promote and advance the collective interest of members in a coordinated manner as a unified advocacy platform for Federal Government policies in the upstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry.

     

     

  • Air accidents not linked to weather in decade – NiMet boss

    Air accidents not linked to weather in decade – NiMet boss

    The Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Sani Mashi, says there has not been any air traffic accident linked to weather within the last ten years.

    Mashi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said the agency had enhanced its capacity to monitor weather activities within airports and along flight routes across the country.

    According to Mashi, “Go through the record, you will see that, within the last ten years, there has not been any air traffic accident that has been linked or remotely linked to weather.

    “Why has that been possible? We have increased our capacity to forecast.

    “We have increased our capacity to monitor not (only) directly within the vicinity of the airport, but (also) along the major routes that aircraft fly within the country.

    “We give adequate briefing to those in the aviation industry.’’

    Mashi said that NiMet had also developed strategies to provide timely weather information to farmers in the agriculture sector so as to guide to better them to crop productions.

    He also said that the agency had embarked on sensitisation programme to create awareness on the danger of weather events, especially thunderstorms, rains and temperatures through its quarterly bulletin.

    Mashi said that the agency was currently faced with challenges of inadequate weather stations and activities of vandals in communities where its equipment are located.

    He therefore called on host communities of NiMet installations to support the agency by securing such installations to forestall the negative consequences to air and weather hazards.

    The NiMet boss said the agency had concluded arrangements to commence the provision of forecast services to the oil and gas sector of the economy.

    According to him, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has certified NiMet to extend its services into the sector after evaluation of its technical capability.

    “For the oil and gas sector, we can only provide these services if we are given the necessary clearance by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

    “They said they have to come and audit us to know our capability; whether we have the technical capacity to provide the services.

    “They came and saw what we have and came to the conclusion that we can offer these services. So two months ago, they gave us the clearance.

    “They wrote the oil companies to inform them that NiMet has been given clearance to participate in the sector.

    “Recently, Shell Company advertised that they need a company to provide meteorological services; Shell already contacted us and we are responding to that,’’ he said.

  • Navy arrests two vessels with suspected stolen AGO

    Navy arrests two vessels with suspected stolen AGO

    A Merchant Vessel (MV) SHIRLEY and Motor Tanker (MT) Vine allegedly laden with 745 metric tons of stolen AGO have been arrested by the Nigerian Navy (NN).

    The vessels, which were arrested along with their 14 crew members by operatives of the NNS BEECROFT, were handed over to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    While MT VINE with six crew members was laden with products whose flash point was higher than the specification of the regulatory agencies, MV SHIRLEY with eight crew carried low quality products.

    At the handover, the Flag Officer Commanding  (FOC) Western Naval Command (WNC) Rear Admiral Sylvanus Abba said MT VINE was arrested on June 9, at about 1:30am, on its arrival at SB BAKARE Jetty, Kirikiri,  to discharge the about 600MT of AGO it was carrying.

    He disclosed that the flash point of the product was higher than that specified by DPR and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    He said the colour of the product was off DPR standard as indicated by lab analysis, adding that when the vessel’s haulage was checked, it was discovered that MT VINE was carrying about 600MT of AGO ad against the 400MT quantity authorised.

    For MV SHIRLEY, the FOC said it was arrested at about 6:10pm on April 19, at Lagos anchorage for allegedly dealing in petroleum products illegally.

    “The vessel was laden with about 145MT of AGO without valid documents for carrying petroleum products in Nigerian waters. Samples of the products were taken for laboratory test to ascertain its quality and the result indicated that the sample did not meet DPR/SON specifications which indicated that it might have been refined illegally.

    Abbah reiterated that the navy in its renewed efforts to purge maritime domain of illegalities, would not tolerate any fraudulent activities.

    He said: “The command has zero tolerance for every form of criminality in its area of responsibility. Defaulters are advised to desist from such acts or face the wrath of the law.”

  • DPR warns IPMAN against sale of adulterated kerosene in A’ Ibom

    DPR warns IPMAN against sale of adulterated kerosene in A’ Ibom

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), has warned the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Akwa Ibom against the sale of adulterated products to consumers.

    Dr Joseph Frank-Briggs, the DPR Operations Controller in charge of Akwa Ibom, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket on Sunday.

    Frank-Briggs said that the department would withdraw the operating licenses of marketers involved in such practice and also seal their stations to serve as deterrent to others.

    He spoke against the backdrop of kerosene explosion that occurred in Eket on July 4 which claimed two lives and left six persons with serious burns.

    The operations manager expressed concern over the frequent incidents of kerosene explosion in the state.

    He advised the people of the state to buy products from licensed petroleum stations only instead of patronising peddlers that are more likely to sell adulterated products to consumers.

    Frank-Briggs said that the department was collaborating with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps to apprehend those involved in selling adulterated kerosene in the state.

    He added that the department would also collaborate with the state Ministry of Information to sensitise the public on the dangers of adulterated petroleum products.

    “A lot of people are ignorant of it and if such awareness is not created, people will continue to fall victims to such explosions,” he said.

  • DPR to commence online licensing of fuel dealers in Bayelsa

    DPR to commence online licensing of fuel dealers in Bayelsa

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it has concluded plans to commence online licensing and renewal of operating licences for fuel dealers in Bayelsa.

    Mr Asuquo Antai, Operations Controller, DPR in Bayelsa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa that the “platform would be unveiled in the coming days.”

    Antai said the platform would run concurrently with the manual system for eight weeks after which it would be suspended.

    He said the public would soon be sensitised on the platform.

    According to him, the application module has been integrated into the DPR website to enable potential licence seekers upload required documents for verification.

    Antai explained that the aim was to reduce human interface, eliminate corruption in the licensing process for fuel outlets.

    “The online application process is part of efforts to fully automate operations in the downstream sector of the oil industry for improved efficiency and faster service delivery and transparency.

    “Applicants for issuance and renewal of operating licences do not need to visit DPR office or meet anyone.

    “They can in the comfort of their locations visit the DPR website, create a profile and upload the required documents.

    “We have also emphasized to the stakeholders that all communication with DPR is by email and the need to have functional email addresses.

    “Immediately the application and documents are uploaded, they are verified by our staff and a site visit is scheduled immediately.

    “If the application is successful, the licence is sent online back to the applicant to print out,” Antai said.