The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) yesterday vowed to sanction any petrol retailer that has formed the habit of rejecting the use of point of sale (PoS) machines for payment for services rendered to customers.
In a statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Communications & Stakeholders Management, NMDPRA, Mr. Kimchi Apollo, the organisation says it is unacceptable that at a time everybody should be working to ameliorate the impact of the cash crunch, many retailers were drawing back the hand of government by rejecting the use of PoS.
It stated henceforth, in collaboration with security agencies, the NMDPRA will be at the fuel dispensing stations to ensure that none of its rules are flouted, including the use of electronic means of payment.
“It has come to the attention of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that some retail outlets are not accepting the use of Point of Sale (POS) machines at their filling stations due to the recent cash crunch brought about by the new Naira design.“The Authority frowns upon this recent behaviour which is causing untold hardship for Nigerians at a time when all hands should be on deck to assist the government in the transition to the new Naira,” the downstream regulator stated.
It therefore directed that any operator that refuses to abide by the extant rules will be punished.
“All retail outlets are directed to ensure the free use of POS and bank transfer for the sale of petroleum products to alleviate the suffering of customers at this critical time.“The Authority and security agencies will be at retail outlets to ensure compliance with this directive and any filling station found violating this directive will be duly sanctioned.
