The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it will shut down filling stations operating in Cross River State without registered operating licenses.
The Operations Controller of DPR in the state, Bassey Nkanga, made this known at a meeting with officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) in Calabar.
He said that the department reminded oil marketers in the state on October 31, 2017, on the need to renew their operating licences, adding that the deadline for registration had since elapsed on March 31, this year.
Nkanga told the oil marketers that for any filling station that is shut down during the operation, the owner will have to pay a fine of N250, 000 before it will be unsealed for business.
He said, “Any moment from now, we will embark on an intensified operation to ensure that marketers who have not renewed their licences are not allowed to operate.
“We have over 600 filling stations in Cross River and it is sad to know that only a little above 100 have their valid registered licences.
“To prevent any embarrassment, IPMAN members should display their renewed licences in their filling stations.”
Nkanga frowned at marketers who were in the habit of adjusting their fuel pump to short-change customers.
He further warned that any filling station found complicit would face the wrath of the law.