(Ecofin Agency) - Towards ensuring that petroleum products are being delivered to their exact locations, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is partnering with the Department of State Services (DSS) to check product diversion in Benue.

Benjamin Ewuga the Operation Controller of DPR in Makurdi stated that in spite of government’s effort at ensuring the availability of products in the state, most petrol dealers, depot managers as well as marketers are still inducing fuel scarcity.

He blames depots of increasing the cost of products from the government N77 per liter without reflecting the variation.

Ewuga added that marketers have been made to submit their product manifest for effective monitoring. Henceforth, more products will be distributed to service stations in the rural areas than those in the urban outlets.

The Operation Controller stated that the department plans to ensure that there is no scarcity in the state. "We intend to execute it through prevention of diversion, hoarding, the sale of products in Jerry cans and other unwholesome practices. We have increased the tempo of our surveillance on a 24-hour basis all through the week and have involved security operatives in checking midnight diversion by tankers", he says.

Black marketers across the state now sell fuel between N150 and N180 per litre as long queues are seen again at Petrol stations, Premium Times reports.