By Oxford Reporters
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has intensified efforts to ensure petroleum product quality and regulatory compliance through laboratory modernisation, nationwide testing initiatives and a strategic partnership with global inspection and certification firm, Bureau Veritas.
The initiative, carried out in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, forms part of the Authority’s ongoing efforts to protect consumers, enforce petroleum product standards and strengthen its technical capacity to regulate Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.
The Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC), Dr. Mustapha Lamorde, represented the Authority Chief Executive, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, during the exercise.
The exercise began with routine inspections of randomly selected petrol retail outlets across Port Harcourt, where regulatory officials examined the accuracy and integrity of dispensing pumps and collected petroleum product samples for quality assessment.
Retail outlets found to have violated established regulatory requirements were sealed and subjected to appropriate sanctions in accordance with the Authority’s enforcement procedures.
Following the inspections, samples collected from the outlets were taken to the Authority’s newly upgraded laboratory in Port Harcourt for comprehensive analysis to determine their compliance with approved petroleum product specifications.
The Port Harcourt facility is among the nine NMDPRA laboratories situated across Lagos, Warri, Calabar, Owerri, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Maiduguri, which are undergoing progressive upgrades to meet international ISO standards.
The laboratory modernisation programme is designed to improve the accuracy, reliability and timeliness of petroleum product testing, while strengthening the Authority’s ability to detect substandard products and ensure compliance with prescribed quality and safety requirements.
A major highlight of the exercise was the signing of a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NMDPRA, Bureau Veritas’ Laboratories and Product Quality Testing Division, and Ace Energy and Power Solutions Limited.
The agreement, titled “Collaboration for Enhanced Product Testing, Quality Assurance and Laboratory Development in Nigeria,” is intended to strengthen technical cooperation, improve petroleum product testing capabilities and support the development of a world-class National Reference Laboratory (NRL) by the Authority.
The partnership is expected to contribute to the development of stronger laboratory systems and technical expertise, enhancing the reliability of petroleum product quality assessments in Nigeria.
The initiative highlights NMDPRA’s commitment to combining effective regulatory enforcement with advanced scientific testing and laboratory infrastructure to ensure that petroleum products supplied to Nigerians meet approved quality and safety standards.
Through the inspections, laboratory upgrades and strategic partnership, the Authority is seeking to strengthen consumer protection, promote regulatory compliance and build greater confidence in the quality of petroleum products distributed across the country.
