BY TONY EDIKE

ENUGU—THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Enugu, Mega Retail Outlet, was among the nine filling stations sealed off, yesterday, by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, for alleged under dispensing of fuel and other petroleum products.

Officials of DPR led by Enugu Zonal Manager downstream, Engr. Sule Yusuf, who inspected the filling stations in Enugu, were shocked to discover that majority of petroleum product dealers in the state were under dispens- ing, thus cheating the buyers.
Though many of them were selling petrol at N97 per litre, the petrol dispensed was far less than the quantity paid for.

The team had driven into the mega station for  routine check, but on sighting the officials, all the workers, including fuel attendants, disappeared into thin air.
Apparently acting on a tip-off by consumers, the DPR officials stormed the mega station to ensure compliance.

As soon as the officials brought out the Sarafin Can used for determining adjusted metres, all the workers swiftly disappeared.
The drama lasted for about an hour to the consternation of consumers on long queue seeking to procure fuel.

The refusal of the staff to come out for the inspection of their metres led to the sealing off of the station which had about 20 dispensing pumps.

Even as the DPR officials came back later in the day to carry out the inspection of metres after the mega station staff were persuaded by officials of NNPC to submit, most of the fuel pumps in the station were discovered to be grossly under-dispensing fuel to consumers at N97 per litre.

The acting operations controller and head of corporate services, Mr. Peter Ijeh, told the mega station staff after the check that the mega station would remain closed until further notice.

Other filling stations sealed up for gross under dispensing of fuel to consumers  include Total filling station along Presidential Road, Conoil, Bontus and McManuel Energy Oil and Gas along Ogui Road, MRS along Abakaliki Road and NARCO along Presidential Road.