The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has directed petrol retail stations to report fire incidents in their premises within 24 hours of such occurrences or face sanctions.
According to a statement from the regulator, it will impose sanctions on erring operators ranging from fines to suspension of operation/revocation of licence.
The Director, Health, Safety Environment and Community (HSEC) of NMDPRA, Nsikak Bassey, stated this during a meeting with the safety team of NNPCL Retail.
He said, “In our effort at preventing fire outbreaks within petrol products’ filling stations across the country, the Authority expects timely reporting of incidents to the nearest NMDPRA office within 24 hours and the Authority Chief Executive (ACE) within 48 hours.”
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Bassey also said operators of facilities must ensure integrity tests are conducted on Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) as enshrined in Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria (EGASPIN) 2018.
The director charged the NNPCL Retails to ensure it ascertains the integrity status of a facility before takeover or acquisition; NNPC acquired over 300 OVH-Oando outlets last year.
Bassey revealed that the NNPC retail contributed 18 per cent of incidents in the past three years to operational hazards and also contributed 14 per cent of incidents in 2022 alone and second highest number of incidents in 2022 and 2023.
The NMDPRA official also said: “Managements of stations must refrain from tampering with evidence after incidents.”
The General Manager, Health, Safety, Security, Environment and Quality (HSSEQ) of NNPCL Retail, Dr Oyet Gogomery, said the company treated safety issues with utmost care and adhered strictly to safety guidelines.
