Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has said the government will revoke the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of any petrol station found to be hoarding fuel in order to create artificial scarcity or is selling above official rate.
He said the government, along with the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), will set up a joint task force to move round the stations to ascertain their compliance with laid down rules and regulations guiding their operations.
The governor’s threat followed the fuel scarcity in Sokoto town and environs which has been lingering for over two weeks.
Speaking when he inspected sale of fuel at some petrol stations in Sokoto, on Sunday, Tambuwal said government would not fold its arms and watch marketers hold the people to ransom.
He said the supply of the commodity from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had not altered, as such no one should create artificial scarcity.
The governor, who was accompanied by the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Salihu Maidaji, urged all those hoarding the commodity to quickly open stations.
“The committee will go round, and any filling station found hoarding fuel will face the full wrath of the law,” Tambuwal added.
The governor commended the management of one of the filling stations visited, SAK Petroleum, for discharging the commodity promptly and at official price.