Business
DPR Fines Marketer For Violating Seal Order
The Department of Pe-
troleum Resources (DPR) has fined a products marketer N1 million for selling products while under DPR’s seal.
The Operation Controller of DPR in charge of Akwa Ibom and Cross River, handed down the the sanction while carrying out surveillance of filling stations in Uyo.
He said the department had earlier sealed the station known as Jobina Oil for operating without valid license, adding that it had been operating for more than 10 years without a valid license.
He said the filling station would pay the N1million for violating seal order, adding that the whole station had been resealed again.
“This station is under seal because it is operating without a valid license.
“This is an old station that has not regularised its license and we shut it down but coming here today, we saw them selling diesel, whereas the whole station had been sealed,’’ the DPR controller.
He said the filling station would be handed over to the security agency in the state for monitoring until the payment of the fine was made.
He said that four other filling stations were sealed for various offences in dispensing petroleum products.
The operations controller warned marketers to desist from buying petroleum products from spot markets in the state.
He, however, said that henceforth depot owners who sell petroleum products above ex-depot price would be sanctioned.
“The only excuse they give is that they buy fuel at high rate and fail to show us evidence that they buy at high rate.
“If the manager comes, we ask him where he got the product from, show us evident to prove that you got product from so and so depot.
“He will not and we need that evidence so that we can arrest the depot and punish them accordingly,’’ he said.
He warned marketers against lifting products if they would not sell at the government approved pump price of N86.50 per litre.
He said that any marketer who sold petroleum products, especially petrol, above government price will be sealed accordingly.
“Any marketer that will not be able to make profit in selling at N86.50 should not even border taking the product to the filling station,’’ he said.
He said the Federal Government was partnering with stakeholders in the downstream sector to ensure that normalcy returned to the petroleum industry.
Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.
Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.
The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.
Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.
“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.
“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”
Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.
In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.
Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.
Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.