Meter fraud: Govt seals 11 Rivers petrol stations

No fewer than 11 filling stations in Rivers State were sealed on Friday by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority during an enforcement exercise.

The stations were sanctioned for allegedly engaging in sharp practices, including under-dispensing petroleum products to the public, using failed pumps and other regulatory infractions.

The affected filling stations are located in Obio-Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas of the state.

Speaking with newsmen, the Regional Coordinator, South-South, NMDPRA, Victor Owodiasa, said the exercise was part of the ongoing ‘Operation One Litre for One Litre’ surveillance initiative.

Owodiasa explained that the operation was aimed at protecting consumers and ensuring that members of the public receive full value for their money when purchasing petroleum products.

“In exercise of our regulatory mandate, we have decided to upscale our surveillance activities to ensure that the general public gets one litre for one litre. It is either you are dispensing within the approved bandwidth or we shut you down to correct the pump and do the needful.

So far, for Friday’s operation, a total of 11 facilities were sealed and they will remain sealed until the integrity of the pumps is confirmed before they are unsealed.

However, it is not just about correcting the pumps before unsealing them. If we discover that some of them have become persistent or perpetual offenders, we will be left with no option but to recommend the revocation of their licences,” he said.

He said any petrol station selling outside the approved bandwidth would face sanctions, adding that the same treatment applies to both liquid fuel and gas.

“What we are doing for liquid fuel is the same thing we are doing for gas. Operators should try as much as possible to operate within the confines of the law. The industry is regulated, and while they are expected to sell to the public, they are not expected to cheat them.

“Cheating the public, wilfully or unwilfully—I use the word unwilfully because sometimes it could be a result of mechanical error—should not happen. Operators should ensure they regularly check their meters themselves. It is not when the regulator comes that we should discover that the meters are either under-dispensing or over-dispensing,” he said.

Owodiasa emphasised that the authority had zero tolerance for over-dispensing, under-dispensing and any form of infringement, saying, “We will not tolerate any attempt to cheat the public.”

Culled from punch