IPMAN creates task force to curb fuel under-dispensing in Enugu zone
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria’s Enugu Depot branch has established a task force to monitor compliance with dispensing, licensing and calibration rules. It warned that stations caught shortchanging customers could face fines, sealing or licence revocation, while asking for more time for members to complete licensing.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria’s Enugu Depot branch has established a task force to ensure filling stations comply with rules on fuel measurement and licensing. The association announced the move in a communiqué issued after an emergency annual general meeting attended by members of the Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria and representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. IPMAN said the task force would monitor compliance with guidelines on under-dispensing and meterage.
The initiative follows a call from the NMDPRA for retail operators to calibrate and verify dispensing pumps and totalisers so customers receive the quantity for which they pay. The association said it would use its internal mechanisms to enforce approved measurement tolerance limits and requirements for licence renewal. It warned that a first offence involving under-dispensing could attract a N250,000 penalty, while repeat violations could lead to a station being sealed or having its licence revoked for three to six months.
Stations that fail to renew licences may also be sealed. Marketers beginning the renewal process after a 90-day grace period could face a late-entry penalty of N100,000. IPMAN further warned that covering, removing or selling from a pump after its seal had been tampered with would constitute a serious offence.
The association urged members to report under-loading at depots to the petroleum tanker drivers’ union rather than alter dispensing or meterage arrangements. It acknowledged concerns including product volatility, accidental losses and technical faults, but directed stations to observe the stated tolerance limits for 10- and 20-litre measurements. IPMAN asked the NMDPRA to grant members a moratorium to secure outstanding licences.
It also said station tenants should contact the regulator when lease arrangements affect renewal, and warned that incomplete applications would be treated as non-compliant and penalised.
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