Fuel price hike: Ebonyi govt. warns dealers against fraud, seals 3 fuel stations

By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki

Ebonyi state government led by governor Francis Nwifuru has warned fuel dealers and markers in the thirteen local government areas of the state to shun all forms of fraud.

The special assistant to the governor on petroleum, Mr. Nwafor Nnaemeka made this known while speaking with newsmen in Abakaliki capital of Ebonyi State.

He revealed that the state government has sealed three fuel stations who allegedly indulged in shape practices, meter adjustments among other offenses.

Nnaemeka, who reads riot act to fuel dealers, further threatened that the government continues to seal any fuel stations that fails to give the masses measurably on what they paid for, adding that enough is enough,

According to him: “Fuel pump price hike is a global menace, so far this country is concerned. The sudden increase of the pump price both from the depot to fuel station owners, due to unavailability of products and as it stands now, Ebonyi state is not an exception, is almost everywhere in the country and all states are experiencing it.

“We have been working tirelessly to make sure that fuel stations are not under dispensing. We got information that due to the unavailability of the product, people are using the opportunity to defraud the masses.

“That’s why we deployed a task force to go to all the fuel stations in the state to make sure that they monitor the activities of fuel stations closely. So far, we have sealed three fuel stations; Edde Mass, R&C and Dozi oil & gas fuel stations due to under-dispensing.

“We are not leaving any stone unturned and the procession continues and after the urban areas, we will relocate to the rural areas and make sure that the masses get value of what they paid for.

He further debunked the allegations making the rounds in the state that fake task force agents have flooded fuel stations and extorted money from dealers.

“Anybody who is saying that government is not checkmating the activities of the fuel station owners are not saying the truth, that’s what resulted in sealing the 3 fuel stations, and they will not go scut free, and probably we are going to use them as an example, because it is not good to defraud the masses. They are going to face the full wrath of the law.

“Also, it is not true that fake taskforce agents are flooding fuel stations in the state. I have taskforce agents that was approved by the governor, Francis Nwifuru, to work under my department to checkmate the Sharp practices that are going on in most of the fuel stations in the state, ranging from adulteration, meter adjustments and other unholy activities, thereby making the masses not to get the value of what they paid for.

“For now, there is nothing like fake taskforce agents in the state as far as petroleum is concerned. The taskforce agents we have now are legally approved by the governor and they are making a move detecting those faults from the fuel stations” he stated.