Govt to enforce legal metrology law in trade, real sector

To enhance consumer protection as well as eliminate the incidence of inaccurate and short measures in trade, manufacturing, export and import activities in the country, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Abdulkadir Musa has reiterated government’s commitment to enforce metrology laws in the country.

According to him, government would not tolerate transactions that seek to cheat customers due to scarcity of such commodities.

In a statement made available to The Guardian, Musa, who led an inspection team of Weights and Measures department to enforce legal metrology law in filling stations for under dispensing petrol to customers in Abuja.

During the inspection at the Mobil filling station, Lugbe, Airport Road, it was discovered that the dispensing pumps at the station short-changed customers from their two operational dispensing pumps by 2 litres 69 mls for every 20 litres of PMS (17.31 as 20 litres) while other dispensing pump dispensed 18.66 litres for every 20 litres.

Other filing stations inspected by the team were NNPC Sabon Lugbe, NNPC, Durumi, Area 1, Total Filing station, Herbert Macaulay way, Forte Oil Olusegun Obasanjo Way, and Total filing station, Wuse zone 6. NNPC filing station Sabon Lugbe one pump was sealed for re-calibration and others were within tolerance level stipulated by law.

Abdulkadir reiterated that government is committed to enforcement of legal metrology laws in all sectors of the economy adding that, it is not only in the oil sector that Nigerians will feel the impact of the department but also in the operations of the Automated Payment Machine (ATM) in the banking sector and telecommunication as well as correct measurement in the market.

“Whatever we are doing now is to send messages to those defaulters that we are now standing on our feet and we are now going to be effective in regulating weights and measurements act in the oil and gas sector. I assure you that what happened in the past will no longer be because now, Nigerians know what we can do. We had synergize with the oil major and stakeholders in the sector and they are well informed of our statutory responsibilities of ensuring that trade is fair, correct and transparent.

“As a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, I do not belief in sitting down behind the board to read report written by my staff, I wanted to see my men in action to ensure compliance with weights and measurements act and I really commend them for their dedication and effort in view of limited funds and staff”, he added.

Director, Weights and Measures, Adeyinka Sikuade said that it was extremely disappointing that motorists were being shortchanged at the filing stations and that the department will continue to embark on such exercise throughout the federation in order to ensure that marketers conform with fairness and standards.

He said that maximum permissible error allow at dispensing pumps is 60 mls, adding that the department in collaboration with stakeholders are working on the portion of the act on penalty that will deter erring stations from cheating.