Petroleum consumers have been admonished to report suspected cheating and adulteration to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). Bashiru Natogma, the Upper East Regional Manager of the Authority said it is the right and responsibility of consumers to report any suspected foul to the consumer department of NPA for action to be taken.
“I want to take this opportunity to advise people, the moment you go there and you suspect cheating, don’t let them feel that you suspect something. But obtain a receipt from them and that is your witness. Call the consumer service department and within seconds, NPA staff will follow you to the station”
The manager made this call during a media engagement organised by the NPA held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. He emphasised the importance of consumer vigilance in ensuring that they receive the right quality and quantity of fuel.
“The moment you start fighting with them [fuel attendants] and exchanging blows, they will suspect and start adjusting things. And by the time we come there, everything will be in order. This work is evidence-based so try to report to the NPA so that NPA will be able to investigate your complaints as soon as possible” he added.
Mr. Natogma urged consumers to pay attention to the dispenser metres, which indicate the volume of fuel being dispensed.
He emphasised the importance of reporting cases of fuel contamination saying it is the mandate of the National Petroleum Authority to ensure that the “consumer gets value for money, whether you have been cheated or the product purchased is not the correct product”
He reiterated the NPA’s commitment to ensuring that consumers receive the right quality and quantity of fuel they deserve.
Delivering a presentation on fuel supply and availability in Ghana, Dominic Aboagye, Head of Planning, NPA said Ghana currently produces 20 percent of petroleum products consumed while the remaining 80 percent is imported from countries such as Europe, the Arab Gulf, and America.
With a structured petroleum industry, Mr. Aboagye mentioned the upstream which deals with oil exploration and production while the downstream deals with refinery activities.
“Now in Ghana, you know the oil that we have is not 100 percent owned by Ghana. We’ve gone into various forms of agreements on how we intend to produce that oil and partnership agreement. And so, there is a certain share that comes to Ghana”
The NPA Head of Planning at NPA said the Tema Oil Refinery is not working because of the lack of crude oil and as a result, the government sells crude oil to international traders.
“And the thing is, because Tema Oil Refinery is owned by the government, GNPC is also owned by the government. Now when GNPC gets their crude oil, they decide to sell it to their international partners and they get dollars into the country. The alternative could have been that GNPC could have sold that crude to TOR. But you already know the challenge in this country, if you are selling to another sister agency, it becomes a challenge,” he indicated.
He said there are some prospects of the local refinery capacity increasing with the coming of the Sentuo Oil Refinery which is expected to change the 80 to 20 ratio.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga|Ghana
