The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed, has urged petroleum products dealers to operate within the regulatory space.
Ahmed said this on Wednesday at a stakeholders engagement on Gas Utilisation in Nigeria held in Enugu, Nigeria.
The CEO, whose speech was read by Ogbugo Ukoha, Director, Distribution System, Facility and retailing infrastructure, said this was necessary for the growth of the sector.
“This epoch making engagement seeks to encourage large operators of petroleum products to not only operate within the regulatory space but also to become aware of the comparative advantages among the different fuels,” he said.
He expressed hope that the stakeholders engagement would create the necessary awareness among the industry stakeholders.
“This is to make the compelling case for industry operators to foster a compliance culture which alone guarantees safer and sustainable facilities,” Ahmed said.
In a keynote, Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution System, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, urged industry operators and businesses to take advantage of the evolving business opportunities in the gas value chain.
He said the objective of the engagement was to enlighten the end user category to “urgently obtain the requisite petroleum storage license and to engender the transition from white products to gas at the last mile”.
The executive director said the authority’s regulations defined the licensing regimes, procedures and standards for handling petroleum products which when breached lose increased risks.
“In addition, gas as the transition fuel, represents a cleaner and cost-effective energy source.
“We encourage operators and businesses to take advantages of the evolving opportunities in the gas value-chain for sustainable business growths by positioning their energy needs to embrace gas derivatives,” he said.
Ukoha enjoined all petroleum handlers to fully comply with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act and NMDPRA regulations to avoid strong regulatory enforcement.
According to him, the authority’s statutory mandate remains to enable industry growth.
Also speaking, the Director Safety and Health, Etuk Basset, said that gas usage was safe.
“Some people say that gas usage is risky because it is highly inflammable; but I can authoritatively say that gas usage is very safe,” he said.
The engagement with stakeholders by NMDPRA was being held in the six geo political zones of the country.
