Emmanuel Okubenji

A fuel station belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and two others were sealed on Monday in Abuja for allegedly shortchanging customers by adjusting their metres.

Officials of the Weights and Measures Department of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, led by Bashir Zoror, had embarked on a city-wide inspection of fuel stations in the Federal Capital territory on Monday.

The department sealed up three filling stations including NNPC Mega Station Gwarinpa, AYM Shafa, Gundu District, and M. Major Oil and Gas, Mborra District for short-changing motorists.

In a statement by Bolaji Kazeem, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, AYM, Shafa was found to have short-changed customers by 0.8 litres on every 20 litres of PMS (giving 19.2 as 20 litres). Also, customers were cheated by the attendants at the same station, reducing 0.95 litres on every 20 litres (giving 19.05 as 20 litres) of diesel.

The statement explained that M. Major Oil and Gas was sealed up because it short-changed customers by 1.6 litres on every 20 litres (18.4 as 20 litres).

The NNPC station was sealed up because the sales attendants deserted the place on sighting the inspecting team. It was alleged that officials of the filing station also refused to switch on their dispensing pumps for inspection feigning power failure and after shutting down their generator.

“It is extremely disappointing those motorists are being short changed,” stated Zoror. “We will not relent in our official duty to ensure that that marketers exhibit integrity, fairness and accuracy while dispensing PMS to customers. We shall continue to use media to educate marketers and the public so that they will be alive to the need for measurement and standards as prescribed by law.’’