The Controller of the Department Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kogi State, Mohammed Zangi, has warned operators of illegal petrol stations to rectify their operations or face clampdown.
He gave the warning while speaking on the sidelines of the sendforth party organised for the outgoing controller in the state, Amos Jokodola, and Alhaji Salary Ahmed Lantern, in Lokoja, on Saturday. Both have attained the mandatory retirement age in service.
According to the new state controller, some owners of filling stations did not obtain operational licences, which would have availed them the privilege to be guided by the staff of the DPR.
He stressed the need to operate within the framework of the laws establishing the sector, noting that hotels and recreational centres should be demarcated from petrol outlets.
He emphasised that the decision is not to witch hunt anyone, stressing that destruction from fire outbreak are preventable when people abide by the law.
He appealed to the state government to cooperate with the department to enable the people benefit from the standard expected of the sector.
Jokodola, among other achievements, is credited with moving the Kogi DPR office from a rented apartment in the outskirts of the capital, to a more befitting edifice within the Government Reservation Area (GRA), Lokoja.
