EDITORIAL (The Daily Searchlight, Monday, 20th June 2022)
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has advised the public against patronizing fuel sold on tabletop outlets in the country.
According to Mr Kwadwo Appiah, the Bono Regional Manager of the NPA, the quality of petrol and diesel being sold at those outlets could be adulterated, be of compromised quality and thereby cause vehicle engines to malfunction.
Describing such activity as illegal and dangerous, the Regional Manager said the NPA was collaborating with the Police to soon clamp down on and prosecute the dealers.
Mr Appiah gave the advice when he responded to a question on the activities of the tabletop petroleum dealers, which is gaining prominence in the region at a media engagement on petroleum pricing formula post deregulation on fuel quality, organized by the Authority for selected media practitioners in Sunyani.
Activities of the table top dealers are common mostly in local communities in the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono Region, as well as the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality, Pru East, Pru West, Sene East and Sene West Districts of the Bono East Region.
Most often, because their activities are illegal, the dealers move from community to community along major highways to outwit the Police, and to sell their products to particularly motorbike and tricycle riders as well as chainsaw operators.
Mr Appiah explained that the NPA was currently studying the situation and building a database on the activities of the dealers to be able to fish them out and called on the media to help create awareness about the dangers of buying such products.
Mr Ubeidalah Saeed Kutia, the Head, Quality Assurance, NPA explained that the Authority had developed electronic tracking devise that monitors the movement of petroleum products from depots to locations in order to ensure that petrol and diesel were not diluted or adulterated.
The Daily Searchlight believes that the activities of the ‘table-top’ fuel dealers could also be a contributory factor to accidents on our highways.
The fact of the matter is that most of the fuel sold by unauuthoroized outlets are adulterated with other products, which affect engine capacity and output, thus putting users of those vehicles in danger.
We recall the experience of one long distance commuter who narrowly escaped death on the Kumasi highway after engine of his pickup vehicle started malfunctioning in the middle of overtaking a vehicle at top speed whilst a vehicle was approaching. He was forced to drive into the bush to avoid head-on collision, and it later rurned out that the fault was not from the engine, but from fuel he had bought at an outlet a few miles previously.
We believe that for the sake of safety, the NPA should take stronger action to ensure that fuel sold in Ghana meets the very highest standards. At least, that would stop the amount of money we spend on imported vehicle parts to repair broken engines.
