The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) is intensifying efforts against illegal petrol peddlers amid persistent fuel scarcity in the country.
The Authority emphasised strict compliance with regulations against selling petrol in jerrycans, warning that errant filling stations would face licence suspensions.
NMDPRA’s executive director, distribution systems, storage and retailing infrastructure, Ogbugo Ukoha, made this known during a stakeholders meeting with major retail outlet managers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, to address illegal petrol peddling.
Marketers were warned that henceforth, NMDPRA will ensure strict compliance by increasing its surveillance monitoring routine and would seriously clampdown on erring marketers who are seen to be aiding and abetting this practice by suspending their retail licences.
Ukoha said the meeting was aimed at reiterating the Authority’s standing regulations against illegal peddling of petroleum products, particularly PMS (petrol) in jerrycans.
“The Authority is taking this decisive step to safeguard lives and properties of Nigerians that are usually at risk of fire outbreaks through improper handling of the volatile & highly flammable product. The Authority is also mindful of the nefarious practices of cross border smuggling of the products with the use of jerrycans,” he said.
Nigeria is currently experiencing a severe petrol scarcity, particularly in Lagos and the FCT with prices surging to as high as N900 per litre, with several filling stations completely out of stock.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had earlier cited logistical issues and inclement weather as causes for the disruption, while independent marketers attributed the crisis to high ex-depot prices and outstanding debts owed to them by the government. The situation has led to long queues at petrol stations and a booming black market, where prices can reach N1,200 per litre.
After the stakeholders’ meeting, a team led by the executive directors of NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha & Dr. Mustapha Larmode in collaboration with security agencies conducted surveillance to some outlets around the metropolis and in the process discovered a couple of illegal fuel dumps and depots around the FCT. The perpetrators were arrested and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Security (DSS) for prosecution.
