Investigations have revealed widespread manipulation of fuel pumps at filling stations across Nigeria, with motorists cheated of millions of litres of petrol yearly amid weak regulatory oversight.
Incidents of pump manipulation by petrol attendants and marketers are on the rise across Nigeria, leaving consumers shortchanged of millions of litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) annually.
Despite an estimated daily consumption of 50 million litres of petrol, checks by Financial Vanguard showed that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) rarely inspects stations to ensure compliance.
Motorists narrated experiences of extortion. In Lagos, Badmus Samami said: “I paid N20,000 at a station in Iyana Isolo, only to find out N22,000 was deducted from my account. The attendant apologised, saying it was an error.”
Similarly, in Oshodi, John Theophilus revealed how attendants manipulated pumps until he insisted on using a 25-litre jerry can for measurement.
Investigations in Uyo, Calabar, Akure, Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, and other cities confirmed that while major marketers like NNPC and BOVAS dispense accurately, many independent stations under-deliver. “We know the stations that cheat us. You buy N5,000 fuel, and your gauge shows less,” lamented commercial driver Akeem Oladimeji in Ibadan.
Kebbi State has set up a committee to curb the malpractice, but nationwide, enforcement remains weak. Attendants, often earning as little as N20,000 monthly, reportedly resort to extortion during fuel scarcity.
NMDPRA’s absence at filling stations fuels distrust. A public affairs commentator, Muhammad Mustapha, noted, “They hugely under dispense fuel in almost 80 percent of stations.”
Efforts to reach NMDPRA Chief Executive, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, were unsuccessful at press time.