Petrol stations risk shutdown for altered fuel pumps, NMDPRA warns
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has issued a stern warning to fuel station operators against altering petroleum pumps.
Mr. Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, made this announcement during an interactive session with commissioners from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in Abuja on Friday.
Ahmed emphasized that petrol stations caught dispensing fuel with adjusted fuel pumps would face severe sanctions.
These sanctions could range from revocation of operating licenses to suspension or even shutdown, depending on the gravity of the offense.
According to him, adjustment of fuel pumps by filling station operators is a major concern to the oil regulatory bodies and the Federal Government.
“What we are doing now is that we have some of our staff going round to take on-the-spot checks of some of the petrol stations.
“If you drive into a station, drive out, you will not know if you have been cheated until you do a measurement.
“Sometimes we do a physical measurement where we go to some stations and buy one litre, look at that environment to see whether that one litre is really one litre.
”Then we will know whether or not they have tampered with the pump,” he said.
The NMDPRA boss said that the authority would continue to collaborate with the RMAFC to generate more revenue for the federation.
“We have started the engagement but this is just a formal collaboration on areas where we can improve the revenue generation for the federation.
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“There are two areas we have to look at which are either to generate revenue or cut costs,” he said.
He called on citizens to invest in the midstream sector of the economy.
“For example, if you want to build a gas plant, come to us, we will give you the guidelines, the policies, and you will come and invest.
“The area you want to invest in will determine the cost of investment; the investment opportunities are there,” he said.
RMAFC Chairman, Mr Bello Shehu, said that the engagement between both organisations was to strengthen their partnership.
“We are here in order for them to enlighten us on what they do and what we can do as a commission to assist them to better boost revenue generation for Nigeria.
“We are interested in what the authority does to enable us monitor better and know the right questions to ask which will enable us give appropriate information,” he said.
