The Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson on Thursday set up a nine-member Petroleum Task Force headed by Okosikeme Emmanuel, to checkmate the activities of dubious oil marketers who have been notorious for some shady deals.

The oil marketers were known to be involved in arbitrary increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol and diversion of petroleum products.

Other members of the Taskforce are More-Money Azikiwe, Alamco Wariebi, Pere Akpolo and Ebiye Suoteigha, Mitin Living, Emmanuel Enock, Baratuapre Daniel and Ebidiseghabofa Exodus.

Dickson said the members were saddled with the responsibility of putting an end to the issue of diversion of petroleum products allocated to Bayelsa as well as ensures that such products were of the right quality.

While describing the pump prices of the petroleum products in Bayelsa State, as the highest in the South-South, he called on the task force to undertake periodic inspection of all filling stations in the state with a view to ensuring that they dispense products according to the regulated pump price.

Dickson said: “From the reports I have been receiving, the price of petroleum products in this state is about the highest in the South-South region. And to me, there is no reason for that because petroleum products are regulated.

“This task force therefore has my mandate to go round the filling stations. I will tell the security to second some officers to you; so you should make sure that petroleum products of all kinds sold in this state are of the right because i hear, they sell a lot of adulterated fuel that causes a lot of problems for all of us who are using generators and vehicles.”

According to Dickson, effective monitoring of the activities of petroleum marketers will go a long way in checking the distribution of adulterated products and other sharp practices aimed at short changing the people.

To enable the task force take off, Dickson directed the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, should convene a meeting between the marketers, NNPC team and the monitoring group to discuss issues surrounding the distribution of the products.

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