The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has stepped up its surveillance of filling stations in Port Harcourt, sealing two outlets and sanctioning others after detecting dispensing irregularities and other infractions.

The crackdown comes days after NMDPRA said it would intensify surveillance against price-gouging, collusion, under-dispensing and other exploitative practices in the deregulated downstream market in a nationwide crackdown on filling stations accused of under-dispensing petrol and other petroleum products to consumers.

Among the stations sealed yesterday during the exercise were MRS on Aba Road and Stage Oil, beside Government Craft Centre on Aba Road, while some other outlets samples were taken to test the quality of the product.

The inspection also uncovered an unusual case of over-dispensing at TotalEnergies, Garrison, with the operator advised to stop dispensing, recalibrate its pump and resume sales thereafter.

The enforcement exercise covered several major outlets, including NNPCL Mega Station at Lagos Bus Stop, Rain Oil on Station Road, NNPCL Station in Trans-Amadi and other locations.

Speaking during the exercise, NMDPRA Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Dr Mustapha Lamorde, said the operation was part of the Authority’s routine surveillance and was not a one-off crackdown.

“This is part of our routine surveillance and mandate actually. It’s a usual practice within the agency. It’s not just happening here in Port Harcourt,” Lamorde said.

According to him, the surveillance is aimed at ensuring that petroleum consumers are not short-changed, while also guaranteeing that products sold at retail outlets meet the required quality standards.

Lamorde explained that the field inspection focuses on three critical areas — quantity, quality and safety — to determine whether motorists are getting the quantity they pay for, whether the products are fit for purpose and whether filling stations are operating safely.

“What we did in the field basically is three things. One, to look at the quantity that you’re buying fuel and it is relative to what you’re selling and the quantity. And also the quality of the product you’re buying is fit for purpose, it’s on spec,” he said.

He said the Authority’s mandate covers all petroleum products, including PMS, AGO and DPK, rather than petrol alone.

On the stations sealed, Lamorde said the affected outlets would face further regulatory sanctions following the findings, while outlets operating within specification would be encouraged to maintain compliance.

“What we found out is some of the retail outlets are actually under dispensing and you can see that what we did immediately is to seal off some of these retail outlets and then the necessary regulatory action will follow up with basically sanctions,” he said.

He, however, noted that one outlet was found to be over-dispensing, stressing that the regulatory concern was not simply about punishing operators but ensuring accuracy and fairness at the pump.

“Our advice for that retail outlet is for them to stop, recalibrate their pump and then start selling again,” he said.

Lamorde said the ultimate objective was to restore consumers’ confidence in the downstream petroleum sector.

“The end game for Nigerians, for consumers, is to make sure that they get what they’re paying for. If you’re buying fuel, you get the quantity that you’re paying for,” he said.

“Secondly, you get the quality actually, which is very, very important for your health, for the environment and also for your vehicle.”

The enforcement exercise came as the NMDPRA unveiled efforts to strengthen its laboratory capacity and product-testing regime through a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with Bureau Veritas and Ace Energy and Power Solutions Limited.

Lamorde, who represented the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Rabiu Umar, at the signing ceremony, said the partnership would strengthen product testing, quality assurance, staff training, standard operating procedures and the Authority’s drive towards international laboratory accreditation.

He said the Authority currently has nine laboratories strategically located across the country, with the Port Harcourt facility among those being modernised in the first phase of the development programme.

The Authority, he said, was also working towards establishing a National Reference Laboratory, which would serve as an apex centre for confirmatory testing, proficiency testing, training, research and innovation.

Lamorde said the upgraded laboratory in Port Harcourt now has advanced equipment capable of measuring sulphur content to levels below 10 parts per billion, while Nigeria’s current standard requires sulphur content not to exceed 50 parts per million.

He explained that the laboratory network would also support the Authority’s plan to digitalise product certification and compliance monitoring, tracking petroleum products from their point of importation or production through storage and transportation to the final retail outlet.

“This is a journey. The certification doesn’t just start or end at the retail outlet. So we follow the custody transfer of this product, whether it’s being imported or from the refinery, as it moves through the storage facilities, transportation facilities, even down to the retail outlets,” Lamorde said.

Managing Director of Bureau Veritas, Daniel Wilbert, said the company was partnering with NMDPRA to strengthen testing, inspection and certification standards in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

“Bureau Veritas, as you know it, is a world-class institution that has been known to ensure quality in certification, inspection and testing,” Wilbert said.

He said the partnership would help create world-class facilities and raise standards in the sector