DPR to sanction substandard lubricants dealers

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has lamented the dumping of substandard lubricants and base oil on Nigeria, noting that it is working with security agencies to rout out the dealers and rid the country of adulterated lubricants.

Acting Director of DPR, Malam Ahmed Shakur, who disclosed this in Kaduna on Wednesday, said that adulterated lubricants and base oil sold to consumers in place of lubricants have cost Nigerians billion of naira through damages to engines and machineries, causing damages to the Nigerian economy and environmental pollution. 

Addressing a Lubricant Oil Stakeholders workshop on Regulatory Requirement for Lubricants Oil Sector, the DPR boss stated categorically that, the Department will henceforth apprehend and prosecute anyone found, storing and selling adulterated lubricants and dealers without license.

Represented by Assistant Director, Engr. Akenn Musa, the DPR Director said, “at the end of this workshop, we will come out with a far reaching resolutions and recommendations to sanitize the lubricant subsector, synergize with the security agencies and major stakeholders to apprehend and prosecute anybody found storing and selling lubricants without DPR license and also adulterating it.

“The storage, distribution and sales of lubricants without a license granted by the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources on behalf of the Minister of Petroleum Resources is totally prohibited as contained in the Petroleum Act of 1977 Section (4) sub-section (1) which states that: “Nobody can import, store, distribute or sell any petroleum product(s) without a license granted by the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources on behalf of the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

“Lubricant adulteration, counterfeiting and sub-standardization has a wide range of consequences on consumers of lubricant products. For example; car owners suffer loss of engine damage and other mechanical parts; factory owners suffer loss through damage to critical plants and machine parts.

“Loss of tax revenue to the government and additional cost associated with fighting of substandard and adulterated products from unregistered lubricant operators. And lastly, is the industry workers in this subsector who suffer job losses as a result of low patronage of original products which leads to resultant low production. Sanitizing the lubricant sector is what we intend to pursue vigorously. 

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