By Ismail Auwal
At least 35 filling stations in Bauchi have been closed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for various violations.
The agency’s operations controller, Alhaji Abdullahi Iliyasu, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Tuesday.
According to him, the impacted stations were fined for diversion, hoarding, dispensing the product with only one pump, and selling the goods in jerry cans.
“We penalized some of them and eventually unlocked their files to serve as a deterrent to others,” he explained.
He said his office has improved regular supply of the product to various regions of the state and across the 500 registered filling stations in the recent two weeks.
According to the controller, the agency has begun a daily sweep of existing fueling stations as well as mounted surveillance to check for and detect instances of sharp practices.
He said the improvement recorded in the supply of the product was due to the role of the strategic reserves in Kano and Plateau depots, which remained regular.
“We have tried our best to ensure that no much processing of vehicles at filling stations,” he said.
NAN reports that the Bauchi metropolis has been experiencing fuel scarcity due to inadequate supply of the commodity from the depots. (NAN)