IPMAN Partners NMDPRA To Ensure Compliance With Dispensing, approval Guidelines In Southeast

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Enugu Depot Community has set up a taskforce to ensure members comply with all approval processes and regulations.

IPMAN Enugu Depot disclosed this in a Communiqué issued at the of its emergency annual general meeting held with members of Petroleum Dealers Association of Nigeria with representative Nigerian Midstream And Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The Communiqué which which was made available to journalists on Wednesday was signed by Chinedu Anyaso and Nnaemeka Iloafor, Chairman and Secretary respectively of IPMAN Southeast zone..

It called members to ensure full compliance to under dispensing and the meterage guideline.

IPMAN said the move was in furtherance to NMDPRA call on stakeholders to ensure retail outlet operators carried out immediate calibration and verification of all dispensers and totalizers towards safeguarding the interests of consumers

NMDPRA said the directive was intended to guarantee accurate measurement and ensure that consumers received the full value of the product they paid for.

it said it would use the taskforce to ensure full compliance to established tolerance limits in terms of measurement and license renewal among members.

The association reminded members that offenders for under-dispensing, faced N250, 000 penalty in the first instance while repeated defaulters risked sealing and outright revoked for between three and six months.

IPMAN however appealed to NMDPRA to give its members a moratorium to obtain their licenses for those who were yet to.

“They will also work round the clock to ensure that her members do not surcharge the public in the course of sales.

“IPMAN and PEDAN assumes NMDPRA of promoting and maintaining a cordial working relationship for the progress of the industry and to serve the public in the best possible way.

“Stations which fail to renew their license will be penalised and their facility sealed and those who also commenced renewal after the grace window of 90days are subject to remit a late entry penalty of N100, 000,” he said.

IPMAN blamed delay in obtaining the tax clearance, a requirement for obtaining and renewing licence and pleaded with NMDPRA to laisise with the relevant authorities to ease the impediment.

It warned marketers that tampering with the seal, by covering, removing or selling from the pump was a grave offense which attracted a fine.

The body urged members to report case of under loading at depot to report to the petroleum tanker drivers union rather than incur fines by tampering with the meterage guidelines.

It lamented increasing purchasing power, accidental loss, volatility of petroleum products and technical error from dispensing pumps but urged members to ensure tolerance limit of 10.3 or 20.6 for every 10L and 20L respectively.

“When stations are leased, the tenant is advised to write to NMDPRA in order to reach a fair negotiation with the landlord, as regards the renewal terms.

“Stations who abandon their renewal process, without uploading other requisite documents; with the excuse that the tax clearance is not ready will be recorded as non-complaint and penalised,” it said.