PUNCH
The Federal Government, on Monday, announced that no unlicensed petroleum product dealer would be allowed to load products from June 1, 2023, as it vowed to shut down such businesses beginning from that day.
It warned that from June 1, 2023, anyone who wants to deal on petroleum products must obtain a licence, stressing that “no licence, no loading of any petroleum product.”
The government gave the warning in Abuja through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority at a stakeholders’ engagement on gas utilisation in Nigeria.
The objective of the engagement was to enlighten operators on the need to urgently obtain the requisite petroleum storage licence and to engender the transition from white products to gas.
“No licence, no loading. We still have like nine days to do the right thing and comply. As the scripture says, obedience is better than sacrifice. As a regulator we prefer that people comply so that it doesn’t have adverse effects on your businesses.
“If there is no compliance, we can assure you from the authority that from 1st of June, there will be no licence, no loading. Any depot, any licensed operator who supplies petroleum products to an unlicensed facility, we will shut down that operator,” the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, Ogbugo Ukoha, stated.
He added, “I want to make a special appeal that anybody who wants to handle petroleum products in excess of 500-litre storage, is required to obtain a licence. Our licensing procedure includes going through what your equipment is, the distance, hazards, procedures and everything.”
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