From SunnewsTimes Team.
The Department of Weights and Measurements of Federal Ministry of Trade and Investments, Abuja have sealed 30 filling stations/Gas plants in Abia, for various offenses, ranging from operating with the wrong meters to their refusal to pay the annual operational fee to the Federal Government.
The incident happened during their annual one week annual surveillance which ended over the week end.
Speaking after the exercise, the Assistant Director/ head of the Team, Mr Saka Gafar said that the exercise took the team to filling stations, Gas plants, super markets and ordinary markets where they use measurement to sell products.
He explained that the intention is to ensure that consumers are not cheated or short changed in transitions that require measurement.
He explained further that while inspecting some filling stations, they discovered that they have errors of not operating with correct meters, and as a result, such stations were sealed and their operators invited to defend themselves, and pay appropriate fine before they were n unsealed.
According to him, the offenses of some of them is refusal to pay Government annual statutory fees, and Some of them feigned ignorance of our operations, which made us to be lenient to them.
“We want to use this forum to create awareness, and enjoin the media to help us to enlighten the public and those who use measurement to run their businesses. Their instrument of measurement should not be such that will deceive , cheat of short change the masses, he advised, and gave instance of some stations that sell 9.7 litters of fuel to consumer in place of 10 litters.
“And the consumer will not know that he has been cheated. This is what we are here to correct”, the Team leader explained .
He said that the exercise is aimed at ensuring that when one buys one KG of meat, it must be one Kg and not anything less, thereby making our people good citizens of this country.
Speaking also, Mrs Nwachukwu Cordelia, the Zonal Coordinator of Weights and Measures Department for South East zone said that the exercise is about sensitization, and to make sure that there is compliance to weights and Measures act for consumers and marketers.
“Through this exercise, we have visited a lot of premises and checked their equipment, finding some wanting and others unable to meet up the requirements. This annual exercise involves both the headquarter in Abuja and all the zones. If we leave for our various places, the zonal offices would continue the exercise to make sure that there is compliance., so that the consumers can get worth for their money .
She said the state office will ensure that people do the right thing when the team from Abuja go back for them to get the right result.
“ We want the public to know that we are out to ensure equity, fairness and justice in trade, we want them to always get worth for your money. If you go to filling stations and you find out that you are cheated, you can locate any weight and measure office and report. We want the right thing to be done because Nigerians are through a lot. This Government is for anti-corruption , we would be crying against Government, yet Nigerians are also corrupt, Cheating in business transaction is corruption and it must be stopped , Mrs Nwachukwu advised.
