Operating without the Authority’s approval, according to the Authority, is prohibited. It further stated that it is illegal to store and use diesel, gasoline, and gas products without permission and that storage facilities larger than 500 liters must be evaluated, regularized, and licensed before being put into use.
The NMDPRA notes that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has given the Authority the authority to encourage the expansion of the industry and that efforts are currently being made to implement new rules to ensure industry operators adhere to standards.
Farouk Ahmed, the chief executive officer of NMDPRA, stated that the 12 regulations recently published in the gazette would open up golden prospects and pave the road for energy security at a stakeholders’ meeting on gas use in Nigeria held in Lagos.
The engagement, according to Ahmed, who was represented by Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), would raise the necessary awareness and present a strong case for the industry’s operators to promote a compliance culture, which ensures safer and more sustainable facilities.
He pointed out that the goal of the event was to persuade major users of petroleum products to not only act within the legal framework but also to educate themselves on the relative merits of various fuels, particularly gas, which has been chosen as Nigeria’s transition fuel.
“It is in this regard that the Federal Government has put in place various initiatives and policy frameworks including the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) and the Decade of Gas Programme (DOGP). The Petroleum Industry Act (2021) has also established within the Authority the midstream and downstream gas infrastructure fund to catalyse gas investments. These efforts are yielding significant results, yet more collaborations and interventions are needed to improve domestic gas utilisation,” he stated.
In his keynote address, Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director of Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), said factories, hotels, estates, and schools are not only the biggest consumers of diesel but have also been identified as operating outside the regulatory oversight. Ukoha was represented by Ayorinde Cardoso, Regional Coordinator Southwest, Lagos Regional Office.
