The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has stated that fuel outlets that change petroleum pumps will face sanctions.
Farouk Ahmed, the NMDPRA’s Chief Executive, disclosed this at an interactive session with Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) commissioners on Friday in Abuja.
According to Ahmed, gas stations detected dispensing fuel with modified fuel pumps will face harsh penalties such as revocation of operating licenses, suspension from operation, or closure, depending on the nature of the offense.
The modification of fuel pumps by filling station operators, he claims, is a big problem for oil regulatory organizations 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 and 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 and 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 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 revenue generation for the federation. 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, saying: “For example, if you want to build a gas plant, come to us; we will give you the guidelines and 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.”
RMAFC chairman, Mr Bello Shehu, said the purpose of engagement between both organisations was to strengthen their partnership.