The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has raised the alarm over adulteration of diesel in the market and vowed to clamp down on the perpetrators of the act.
Speaking recently in Lagos when officials of the regulatory agency uncovered two illegal engine oil manufacturing factories in Ikugbayi Street, Marine Bridge and Raji Rasak Estate in FESTAC Town area in the state, the Manager in charge of Retail Outlet and Marketing Department of the DPR, Mr. Okechukwu Okoro told newsmen after the exercise that clamp down on illegal manufacturers of engine oil was as a result of series of complaints from the public.
Okoro said that the regulatory agency had discovered that there was high rate of adulteration of diesel in the market.
“So, we have come to see if it is true and we have found out this to be real. Many people who supply diesel at home gave them adulterated diesel which is not from real source. People should be wary of where they get their product from, they should ensure that they get from right source because these people mix other products in the name of diesel,” he explained.
CSC Ajayi Olaleye of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps led the arrested six workers from the first factory at Marine Bridge, while no arrest was made in FESTAC Town.
DPR’s Manager in charge of Engineering and Standards Unit, Mrs. Sholabi Olanrewaju, who led the agency’s team, told journalists that they discovered the factory during a routine inspection and monitoring in the state.
“We visited these places with NSDC and met some men actually dispensing the base oil. From our investigation, they are actually retailing ordinary base oil without addictive into a container of a well-known brand like Total. This is an illegal operation, the environment is unsafe and they are licensed to brand base oil,” she said.
Olarenwaju said that the department would ensure that they get at those illegal lubricants in Lagos metropolis.
She explained that before anybody could engage in petroleum product business in Nigeria such person must be licensed by the DPR.
One of the alleged manufacturers of fake engine oil, who gave his name as Kehinde Atande, said he brought oil with water to filter when he was arrested.
Atanda insisted that he did not know that what they were doing there was illegal.
Source: Thisdaylive.com
