DPR warns petroleum marketers on safety measures

GOMBE Field office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has warned different marketers of petroleum products in the State to ensure that they equip their filling stations and outlets with laid down safety tools or risk the withdrawal of their operating licenses.

The warning was handed down to the petroleum products marketers by Controller of the Gombe Field Office, Abdullahi Abawa, told marketers during an interactive meeting coming in the spate of fatalities recorded as a result of accidents involving petroleum products in stations and on transit in the recent times.

He said that the DPR has been patient with the marketers for a long time in Gombe State especially, Liquefied Petroleum Gasoline (LPG) retailers on safety measures in their sales outlets to no avail.

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He said, “when we wanted to take a decisive action against them, their association prevailed on us that the State Government is in the process of providing a plot of land for them so, we had to soft pedal. But we have given them a timeline now considering disasters recorded around in some parts of the country”.

During the technical session of the meeting, the marketers were enlightened on safety, health, environmental, storage, dispensing and registration of outlets and stations among many other issues in the industry.

Mike Ayo, representative of the Major marketers in Gombe, commended DPR for the enlightenment meeting which he said very timely especially on the aspect of safety. He said, “Safety is the most important thing in this industry”.

A gas dealer, Mr. Uche Okeke, said the Government had promised the association a land to operate just as some of them had made moves for license to DPR for gas refilling stations because their present place of operation is not conducive.

Independent Marketers Brand of Gas, Adamu Saleh said they were impressed by the interaction and constant conduct of such interaction will eliminate most of the grievances which were expressed.