Fuel marketers, retail operators and depot owners in Nigeria are facing heightened regulatory pressure after the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) began a nationwide inspection of filling stations accused of delivering less refined petroleum product than customers paid for.
Regulator launches nationwide enforcement
The operation started on Thursday, a day after the NMDPRA notified major industry groups that it would act against outlets involved in under-dispensing. The warning was sent to the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN).
The authority said breaches could lead to severe penalties. Repeated or major violations may attract sanctions extending to the withdrawal of a filling station’s operating licence under NMDPRA rules.
- Filling stations are being targeted for allegedly dispensing volumes below the quantities paid for by motorists.
- Operators found persistently or seriously violating the rules may lose their licences.
- The enforcement drive covers retail outlets nationwide.
Marketers ordered to check dispensing equipment
After receiving the regulatory notice, IPMAN and PETROAN instructed their members to examine and authenticate the accuracy of their fuel pumps and dispensing meters.
PETROAN National President Billy Gillis-Harry said in a television interview that the association had urged operators to carry out the checks without delay so they could avoid penalties. He said a message had been distributed to members directing them to inspect their meters as soon as possible.
IPMAN spokesperson Chinedu Ukadike also said he had told the association’s members to follow the regulator’s instruction and ensure compliance.
Operators report concern as pump prices remain high
A filling-station manager in Abuja, speaking without being identified, confirmed receiving the NMDPRA communication. He acknowledged that some outlets do provide customers with less fuel than the amount purchased, but said he had not yet witnessed regulators conducting physical enforcement visits.
He welcomed the intervention as a sign that the regulator was addressing its responsibilities, while noting that the warning had unsettled other station operators. He also maintained that, despite the notice, no on-site inspection had yet taken place at his outlet.
The regulatory action comes as petrol sells for between N1,395 and N1,450 per litre in Abuja. Three days before the crackdown began, Dangote Refinery lowered its gantry petrol price to N1,325 per litre from N1,350, following a decline in crude oil prices.
The reduction at the refinery subsequently prompted a modest fall in petrol prices at several depots and at some retail filling stations.
