Abdulfatai Abdulsalami
21 November 2008
Sokoto — The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Sokoto has decried the increasing construction of illegal petrol stations in the zone.
Speaking during the 2008 marketers meeting in Sokoto yesterday, the Operations Controller, (DPR) Sokoto Alhaji Umaru Moriki said the Department had discovered that some operators of filling stations in the zone were not adhering to the regulations setting them up, adding that they would not rest in ensuring that operators of filling stations conform to the laws.
He stressed also that marketers carry out renovations of petrol stations in the zone without consent and approval from the DPR and that buying of surface tanks were also carried out without the department's inspection and certification. In his words "It should be noted that henceforth, before embarking on any of such activities, an approval from the Department must be sought and obtained, any violation of the regulations will be met with appropriate sanctions".
The operations controller stressed that the Department's findings into fire incidents at petrol stations had revealed that majority of such incidents were caused by ignition sources outside the confines of the facility, but in close proximity.
Others he said are the non-functional electrical earthling system of the underground storage tanks (UDT) adding that as statutorily required and to forestall petroleum fires in petroleum products handling facilities, it had become necessarily to conduct an audit to ascertain the functionality status of earthling systems in all petrol stations.
Alhaji Moriki lamented that the proliferation of petroleum products and street hawking in Sokoto metropolis is highly worrisome; and had resulted to some fatal incidences.
He therefore appealed to security agencies to as a matter of urgency, intervene to protect the lives and properties of the public.
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