As the 2011 general elections draw closer, Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Chief Werinipre Seibarugu, has described the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as the party to beat both at the state and national levels.

THE Department of
Petroleum Resources has decried the continued adulteration of petroleum products as well as the the haulage of products without the DPR requisite permits in line with Petroleum regulations as the major challenges presently hindering easy operations at the depots.
The operation controller, Lagos Zonal office on the occasion of annual general meeting of the department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Petroleum Products Depot Owner and stakeholders, (PPDOS), Mr Olugbenga Koku, made this statement at a stakeholders meeting held recently in Lagos.
According to him these practices are not in any way acceptable and must not be allowed to continue. The Department has worked out appropriate penalties and sanctions against perpetrators of the unwholesome act for products quality control at Jetties and the acceptable certification is that accredited third party surveyor or laboratory in conjunction with the receiving depot as these daily products re-certification at the depots must be carried out each morning before loading can commence.
He stated further that the adulteration of petroleum products has been on with the aim of making maximum profit because of the price differential between Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and House hold Kerosene (HHK) which is unacceptable.
“These unscrupulous tanker drivers and dealers engage in operating illegal depot where these products are “blended”. These products eventually find their way into petrol stations where they are sold to innocent consumers. To correct these attitude depot managers should ensure that each truck leaving their depot should carry a quality certificate of the product duly signed by competent staff of the organization and the driver of the tanker. The manholes and the discharging valves of the truck must be sealed before leaving the Depot. Henceforth any truck identified to carry off spec product shall be impounded and the driver or the dealers prosecuted.” he said.
He further noted that the transfer of any petroleum products from one petroleum depot or Jetty to another shall be done only with the consent of the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources or any officer delegated by him. It shall be the duty of the depot manager of the depot to inform the Director, or his delegated officer, of the program to transfer petroleum product from one depot to another duly licensed depot by completing the product transfer format.
“Some Depots had approval to load products beyond sunset due to· the exigency of a particular period but failed to discontinue at the expiration of that time, as contained in the approvals granted them. This is unacceptable and can no longer be allowed. We hereby reiterate that Cap 350; 28 (1) of petroleum law stipulates “No Loading and discharging of Petroleum Products shall proceed between the hours of sunset and sunrise” must strictly be adhered to. This might not be a global practice but considering our response time to emergencies and lack of proper preparedness for contingencies, we are left with no option than to implement this section of the regulation.”
“I wish to thank the various Managing Directors of Companies that made this occasion possible. I will like to implore you to actively participate in this interactive session which I believe would help to resolve impending issues that would become the bedrock to our re-positioning strategy for a better working relationship. Please do not fail to take full advantage of this unique opportunity to share the knowledge and experiences of the array of experts here for the growth of the industry.” He said
He added that the importation of petroleum products from different parts of the world and the proliferation of depots in Lagos operational area makes the annual gathering of this sort a veritable tool of bringing together operators in the industry to deliberate on prevailing Government policies and Regulation guiding the industry.
“I am particularly pleased that this forum has lived up to expectation in performance appraisal of operations which has ensured good oil field practices.

The interactive approach of the meeting has been very effective as both professionals and industry captains have used the podium to proffer useful solutions to various problems and challenges confronting the downstream sector.” He added.

THE Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Engr. Austen Oniwon, has called on members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, to work hard to sustain the current steady supply of petroleum products across the country.

Nigeria’s Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunisation has concluded that the country could stop poliovirus transmission by mid-2011 if it were to intensify and upgrade its eradication programme, and build on the significant progress it has made.

On return for a two-day session to screen ministerial nominees and consider INEC budget, the National Assembly was served with a fresh executive letter ‘begging’ both chambers to pass the bill on terror.