DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES CLAMPS DOWN 17 ILLEGAL LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS DEPOT

Hear him “The exercise is continuous and we will continue to improve as well as carry out the necessary assignment as stipulated by the regulation and oil guidelines. In the other two areas LPG and Filling stations we have been able to curtail people selling at forecourt below the required volume being paid for by the motorists and other buyers to a greater extent in Oyo State, we have not been able to close down any filling station due to unnecessary under-dispensing of the pumps.”

“The only area where we have closed down filling station is where they have installed skid without our approval, in the last three months we have been able to stop illegal installation of LPG skid and closed down 17 illegally installed skid from operating within our area of operations, that is Jul State,” he said.

Penpushing further reports that, Olaonipekun reiterated  that ignorance is not an excuse under the law for the illegal LPG operators who claimed so, adding that in order to forestall future occurrence during the department  routine visit and surveillance, they have gathered data of illegal outfit and their gas suppliers.

“Because we believe that if they have not been supplied gas they will not be able to sell or have the products, we now have the data of  the licenced legal operators who are supplying the illegal operators. We have thereafter written warning letter  to nine major LPG retailers Plants owners; if they further supply any unlicensed, unapproved LPG site we will close down their own plants too’.

“The law gives us the power to do that based on the conditions in which they got their licences; they have some responsibility and duties to perform and if they fail we have the power to either suspend or revoke their licences,” Olaonipekun said.

Penpushing also reports that, he however noted that DRP Ibadan has an ongoing plan to meet with LPG plant owners and stakeholders, saying that the meeting would seek ways to curb and stop unnecessary supply of products to unlicensed and unapproved site.

“We will also go out on road show to sensitize people on how to safely handle and use LPG. LPG is friendly if it is handled carefully,” he said.