The Zonal Operations Controller of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Borno, Alhaji Ibrahim Ciroma, has urged operators of filling stations and gas plants in the north east to ensure requisite safety training for their employees.
Ciroma made the call on Wednesday, at a meeting with operators and stakeholders in Maiduguri.
He said the DPR was committed to enforcement of Minimum Industry Safety Training for Downstream Operations (MISTDO).
Ciroma said this would ensure only trained attendants operate in filling and gas plants, for optimal safety.
“We have had cases of mishandling of petroleum products which lead to devastating consequences, so in order to curtail that, we came out with MISTDO to ensure everyone is trained by specialists in the field for safety and effectiveness,” he said.
The controller also alerted them on the prospect of LPG (gas) overtaking petrol in terms of customers in the nearest future.
He advised marketers with big filling stations to try adding gas facility to cater for expected gas vehicles.
“Gas is cheaper than petrol, so if we have gas vehicles, people will go for it, as N4000 worth of gas can take a vehicle from Maiduguri to Kaduna.
“In India for instance, most of their tricycles use gas,” Ciroma said.
He also urged marketers who were yet to renew their registration to do so.
Ciroma said DPR had introduced a retail outlet monitoring system which is a platform for marketers to fill in the quantity of products in their storage facilities on daily basis.
“We want to know the quantity we have in filling stations and the rate of consumption, so that we develop statistics that will help in taking decisions,” he said.
The Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN) in Borno, Alhaji Mohammed Kluwu and his counterpart of Major Marketers, Mr Simon Ijai, were at the meeting.
Also present was the chairman of Gas Refilling plants, Alhaji Adam Awana.
The chairmen lauded DPR for the enlightenment and promised to reach out to their members for maximum compliance.
