The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has asked kerosene retailers in Rivers State to ensure they get approval from the agency before embarking on the business.
DPR’s Head of Downstream, Monitoring, and Regulation, Port Harcourt Zone, Mr, Enwuchola Emmanuel, said the agency will clamp down on anybody caught operating kerosene retail outlet in the state, without the approval of the agency.
Emmanuel explained that it is part of the mandate of DPR to assess the location before giving approval to outlets of petroleum products.
According to him, “Anybody who wants to embark on kerosene retailing business will apply to the DPR after which we will go and see the place.
“We have to access the location to ensure that it is safe and it meets our requirements.
“But if somebody has already begun selling without a license or permit, the person should come to us for an approval otherwise he will be running at a loss when the law catches up with him.
The Department of Petroleum Resources further urged members of the public and kerosene users to be mindful of where they get their products.
“Anybody who is buying kerosene should know the source where it is supplied from, if the retailer does not have a logo of where the kerosene is supplied from on his tank, then they should avoid buying kerosene from such place because that can lead to a hazard.
“Indiscriminate and illicitly installed kerosene storage tanks can be very dangerous because some kerosene volume may really be kerosene. The public should report such to DPR,” he said.
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