*may sponsor a law to checkmate the menace
From Chuks Collins, Awka
All wholesalers, distributors and marketers of petroleum products especially engine oil have been warned to desist from sale of adulterated, unblended and unwholesome oil in any part of Anambra state.
Handing down the warning yesterday at Nnewi at the end of an unscheduled discreet tour of parts of the state where his team took samples of products on sale for investigative analysis, during interaction with journalists, Chief Chris Okonkwo who is the Special Assistant(Oil/Gas) to Gov Willie Obiano said the government’s sledge hammer would soon fall on all the culprits without exception.
According to Chief Okonkwo, “…discovered rampant sale of base and unblended engine oil to the unsuspecting public, passing same off as blended engine oil.
“That is unfortunate. You see such unwholesome, adulterated and unblended oil being marketed daily at virtually all street corners of the state.
“The same goes for the black-market sale of highly inflammable petroleum products in big and small jerrycans that are usually stored in residential areas under risky conditions”.
Chief Okonkwo who is also the Chairman of the state’s Taskforce on Procurement, Pricing, Regulation and Distribution of Petroleum Products admitted that “Gov Obiano is highly worried about it and we are committed to eliminating such acts all over the state.
“What they sell are harmful adulterated products. They all constitute health, life and machine hazard to both the engines, generating sets and human beings all over the state.
“It’s condemnable for anyone, in a quest to make money decide to destroy other people’s machineries, vehicles and lives by selling fake uncertified products. We are already looking into it with a view to wiping out such acts.
The governor’s aide noted that he has not ruled out pursuit of appropriate laws to tackle such perpetrators if the existing ones are not very effective.
