Cracking down on fuel pump fraud

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (NMDPRA) latest crackdown on fuel under-dispensing is unquestionably necessary, though it is a sporadic routine that is never sustained.

Its directive that all filling stations immediately calibrate and verify their dispensers and totalisers, backed by the threat of licence revocation for persistent or serious violations, addresses a practice that motorists have long complained about.

The regulator says it has confirmed incidents of under-dispensing nationwide and has intensified inspections.

About 20 stations were reportedly sealed between 2025 and 2026 for the offence. Yet the timing for this heartless exploitation of the people could hardly be more painful.

Nigerians are confronting petrol prices of about N1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja, with prices reaching N1,500 in parts of the East and North, amid renewed international crude-price pressures linked to Middle East tensions.

Under these circumstances, being charged more for fuel and then receiving less than the quantity displayed on the pump amounts to a double assault on already battered household incomes and businesses.

The issue is larger than dishonest attendants. Under-dispensing can result from deliberate manipulation or improperly calibrated equipment, making rigorous metrology and regulatory oversight indispensable. NMDPRA has appropriately ordered immediate verification, while industry bodies including IPMAN and PETROAN have urged their members to comply.

But Nigerians need more than another regulatory circular. They need evidence that enforcement will continue after public attention moves elsewhere. Sealing roughly 20 stations over two years, if the reported figure is representative, is plainly inadequate for a nationwide, persistent problem.

NMDPRA should institute routine, unannounced and geographically representative inspections, publish the outcomes and make calibration certificates conspicuously visible at every pump. Repeat offenders should face predictable sanctions, including prosecution where applicable, heavy fines and licence withdrawal for serious or persistent violations.

Consumers, too, must be empowered. There should be simple, accessible channels for reporting suspected short-measuring, rapid investigation of complaints and independent verification of disputed pumps. The regulator should publish meaningful enforcement statistics so Nigerians can see how many complaints were received, stations inspected, violations established and licences sanctioned. This is especially important in an economy where petrol remains indispensable to transportation, small businesses and power generation because electricity supply remains unreliable and inadequate.

The NMDPRA cannot determine market prices under the deregulated regime, but it has a statutory responsibility to protect consumers against exploitative practices. The fight against pump fraud is therefore welcome, but it must not become another episodic regulatory performance. At a time when every litre costs Nigerians dearly, every litre must be delivered. NMDPRA must turn this crackdown into a permanent culture of measurement, transparency and enforcement. Anything less leaves already struggling Nigerians paying premium prices for less fuel, and this could lead to the breakdown of law and order.