Product Testing: NMDPRA, Bureau Veritas, Ace Energy Sign Tripartite MoU

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bureau Veritas and Ace Energy and Power Solutions Limited to digitalise its nine laboratories across the country.

The agreement was signed at the NMDPRA office on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday.

The Authority’s Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Dr. Mustapha Lamorde, signed on behalf of the Authority Chief Executive, Mallam Rabiu Umar. Bureau Veritas Managing Director, Daniel Wilbert, and Ace Energy Group Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Nwokolo, signed for their respective organisations.

Speaking after the ceremony, Lamorde said the partnership would strengthen the Authority’s regulatory oversight through capacity building, standardisation of operating procedures, staff training and the deployment of world-class laboratory equipment.

He added that the initiative would support the laboratories’ drive towards international accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025, while improving product certification, surveillance and compliance monitoring.

According to him, the laboratories are strategically located across nine states, including facilities in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Calabar, Warri, Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.

Lamorde said the project would also support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) 2030 roadmap for product quality in the region.

He disclosed that the Authority was procuring advanced equipment, including sulphur analysers capable of measuring sulphur content below 10 parts per billion, to strengthen petroleum product testing and ensure compliance with applicable national standards.

He explained that the digitalisation programme was being piloted to ensure petroleum products, whether imported or locally refined, could be monitored throughout the supply chain rather than relying solely on checks at retail outlets.

Wilbert, speaking on behalf of the partners, described the agreement as an opportunity to establish world-class laboratory facilities and strengthen quality assurance in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

Meanwhile, the NMDPRA has sealed two filling stations in Port Harcourt for under-dispensing petroleum products to customers.

The affected stations are MRS at CFC, Aba Road, and Stageoil, near Craft Centre, Aba Road. The outlets were sealed during a monitoring exercise led by Lamorde.

Other stations inspected included the NNPCL mega station at Lagos Bus Stop, Reinoil on Station Road, Total at Garrison and an NNPCL station in Trans-Amadi.

Lamorde said the exercise was part of the Authority’s routine nationwide surveillance to ensure consumers receive the correct quantity and quality of petroleum products.

He explained that samples collected from filling stations were subjected to laboratory testing to establish compliance before further regulatory action was taken.

According to him, the inspection revealed cases of under-dispensing, prompting the immediate sealing of the affected outlets, while appropriate sanctions would follow.

He also identified an outlet that was over-dispensing and advised its operators to recalibrate their pumps to avoid operating at a loss.

Lamorde urged filling station operators to comply with regulatory requirements, stressing that consumers deserved the quantity of fuel they paid for and products that met national quality specifications.

He added that the Authority’s field and state offices would continue routine inspections nationwide and encouraged members of the public to report violations through the NMDPRA’s official communication channels.