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DPR to Sanction Unlicensed Cooking Gas Marketers(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Department of Petroleum Resources has decried the rising number of marketers in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) otherwise known as cooking gas , who are doing business without valid licenses . The Head of gas, of the Agency Antigha Ekaluo, who confirmed the development said that government will sanction any marketer discovered to have violated the laws of the land. Ekaluo who spoke at the 2014 Annual General held in Lagos recently observed that many marketers store and sell LPG without valid licenses, thereby contravening the law of the nation , adding that henceforth all retail outlets for marketing of Liquefied Petroleum Gas must be licensed with DPR. He, directed all LPG plant operators to ensure that their reselling outlets have valid license, noting that the that Management of DPR have directed inspectors to ensure compliance to avert industrial hazard. . "DPR is set as from this months to commence facility audit of licensed plants nationwide to ensure compliance with statutory provisions on operational safety. Plant operators must be conversant with all safety needs of LPG plant operations." he noted . According to him, the Department is already making proposals for the coming operational year, and needed to interact and inform stakeholders of its programmes as far as LPG was concerned. "We need active participations of all stakeholders in an effort to find ways to deepen and expand LPG consumption in Nigeria in line with the FG's objectives for the sector." he added . Ekaluo said the directive was coming at a time the government was putting in place measures to deepen LPG consumption in the country; as a result of government's efforts, the use of gas product as automotive fuel was gaining acceptability within the Nigerian populace. The Zonal Operations Controller (Lagos zonal office), DPR, Mrs. Chioma Njoku, in her contribution said the aspiration of the Federal Government is to sustain a robust economy, which could be only be achieved when business entities in the LPG segment thrive and boost the national aspiration of eradicating unemployment, and ensuring a clean environment through the encouraging the of use LPG for industrial and domestic use. Copyright Daily Independent. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). |