As part of efforts to halt ambiguity in dispensing petroleum products, the Department of Petroleum Resources has launched a device, Digital Seraphin Can, to help ensure accuracy.
The Head of Public Affairs, Mr Sadiu Abubakar, who led some journalists to monitor some sealed filling station in Abuja, said the device was one of the major moves to help ensure smooth operation by marketers.
He said, “The Digital Seraphin Can is of many advantages to the consumers, marketers and to the Nigerian government. This is because you will never achieve anything without accuracy and you know what it means to government revenue.
“This is why DPR is insisting that it cannot continue with the use of an analog machine to check what the marketers are doing. The Digital Seraphin Can is very efficient.”
He said the device would help to check safety, gauge temperature and ensure accuracy.
Abubakar said monitoring of the filling stations was to ensure that they were working in line with government policies as the ember months approach.
The DPR Abuja, he said, had conducted a technical audit of all petrol stations in the city.
“We audited about 316 of them, out of which 10 were found to be substandard and we have asked them to upgrade their stations.
“Five out of the 10 have upgraded and are operational.We have gone round the remaining five and discovered that they are beyond redemption.”
“What they have to do is a serious upgrade before they will be allowed to operate.”
The DPR helmsman maintained that part of the exercise was to ensure consistency in fuel supply and distribution.
He added, “We need to look ahead. Very soon, we are entering the ember months and it is during this period that we have issues of the supply gap and the rest of them.
“We need to be on the ground to make sure that everybody celebrates the yuletide in a very good mood.”
The JIBEC filling station and ASIO and Sons Limited, both in Gwagwalada Area Council, on the outskirts of Abuja are among the sealed filling stations.
The DPR Abuja Zonal Controller, Mr Buba Abubakar, re-emphasised that the purpose of the auditing of filling stations was to ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products.
“We are going into ember months, that is why we have audited the filling stations first.
“I am telling the marketers that we are going to sustain our surveillance, so they should be careful with what they are doing,” he said.
