The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has deployed officials to petroleum depots and retail outlets to monitor compliance with the regulated N165 pump price.
Mr Ayorinde Cardoso, Zonal Operations Controller, NMDPRA, Lagos, confirmed the development in Lagos.
Some independent petroleum marketers were selling petrol at between N170 to N180 per litre.
Cardoso said that the Federal Government had directed that the players in the sector should comply with the N165 pump price for petrol as stipulated in the pricing template.
Cardoso said: “Our officials are on surveillance to the depots and retail outlets to ensure that they comply with the directive.
“We want to make sure that the depots are selling at the approved ex-depot price to marketers and also ensure that marketers are not selling to motorists above N165 per litre.
“We are optimistic that normalcy will return to petrol distribution in Lagos very soon as we have made a lot of progress in terms of product availability.”
On his part, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said fuel queues had eased out in Lagos because more IPMAN members has open for operations.
“The queues are beginning to disappear as more of our members have products now and are selling.
“We have heard complaints that some of them are selling above N165 but you cannot blame them because they bought it at higher prices at the private depots.
“Once products are available everywhere they won’t have option than to sell at N165,” Okoronkwo said.
The Government threatened to sanction any fuel stations or depot selling above the stipulated approved pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The threat followed the persistent fuel scarcity being witnessed in the FCT and its environs as well as in other parts of the country.
Mr Farouk Ahmed, Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) gave the warning on Monday during a joint inspection on fuel stations in Abuja.
He said the inspection aimed at taking action to enforce the regulations by following up warning given to the oil marketing companies, particularly those selling over the official price of N148 kobo.
He explained that the pump price of PMS was still N165 per litre and remained sacrosanct, adding that nothing had changed and government had not made any other decision on that.
He said it would take an action against defaulters because based on its engagement with the Depots and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN) and Major Oil Marketers of Nigeria (MOMAN), they were warned against over price at the depot.
He said as a regulator, there were series of actions it could take which included withdrawal of service from a particular depot, shutting and sanctioning them because nobody was above the law and we must enforce the regulations.
According to him, the inspection has been an on-going exercise; the authority has seven teams going round in different locations while NNPC has its own teams going round in many locations with support from the security agencies.
