The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) Ghana has entreated the general public to disregard a trending audio purporting that some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are dispensing fuel below accepted levels.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Duncan Amoah.

The audio which is an interview granted on Asempa 94.7fm in 2019 in a story published by the Publisher Newspaper pertains to a Ghana Standards Authority report, citing some specific pumps of a few OMCs namely, Frimps Oil, Goil and Shell whose observable quantities dispensed in a routine inspection were below tolerance levels.

According to COPEC, the matter was decisively dealt with after COPEC together with “officials of the said OMCs in the company of the media and some Ghana Standards Authority Officials, went out to each of the affected pumps to verify the rectification to which it was also revealed that almost all OMCs are now adhering to strict compliance.”

COPEC, in the statement added that “we have carefully followed all subsequent testing done to ensure that the industry, as at present, is almost 99% compliant.”

As a consumer protection agency, Mr. Amoah confirmed that “all the earlier mentioned pumps had effected corrective measures including changing of those malfunctioning pumps as some of the challenges leading to the said under deliveries could be attributed to mechanical and sometimes human errors.”

“This accounts for the drastic reduction in consumer complaints on under deliveries over the past few years” the statement added.

Following from this exercise, the Ghana Standards Authority also had to put in place an even more stringent testing routine to ensure misreading and under deliveries were done away with.

The GSA now conducts a series of tests and due diligence procedures to ensure maximum compliance.

The statement ended by urging the general public to treat the circulating audio with contempt.

“We entreat the public to disregard any apparent mischief that the said audio being circulated currently intends to create a somewhat improved industry.”