News
NMDPRA threatens petrol stations with shutdown over under-dispensing
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has ordered filling station operators nationwide to immediately inspect, calibrate and verify their fuel dispensing equipment following renewed concerns over the under-dispensing of petrol to motorists.
The directive is part of an intensified regulatory crackdown on filling stations accused of giving customers less petrol than the quantity displayed and paid for at the pump.
The NMDPRA said it had recorded cases of under-dispensing at retail outlets across the country and described the practice as a serious breach of consumer trust.
In an industry notice issued on Tuesday, the authority directed operators of retail outlets to ensure that their dispensers and totalisers were properly calibrated and functioning accurately.
The regulator warned that any filling station found to be deliberately or otherwise inaccurately dispensing petroleum products would be required to take immediate corrective measures.
It further cautioned that persistent or serious violations could attract sanctions, including the revocation of the affected outlet’s operating licence.
The latest directive follows a series of enforcement operations by the regulator during which several filling stations were shut for allegedly short-measuring customers.
About 20 filling stations were reportedly sealed by the NMDPRA between 2025 and 2026 over under-dispensing.
The development has also prompted petroleum marketers to step up efforts to ensure that customers receive the quantity of petrol for which they pay.
While some marketers have pointed to the conduct of pump attendants as a possible cause of the problem, others have attributed discrepancies to faulty or improperly calibrated dispensing equipment.
IPMAN reacts
Reacting to the NMDPRA directive, the Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said the association had communicated the regulator’s warning to its members across the country.
Ukadike said petroleum marketers operated in a competitive market in which the quality, price and quantity of products were important considerations for customers.
He stressed the need for filling station operators to maintain accurate dispensing equipment and ensure that motorists received the appropriate quantity of petrol for their money.
The NMDPRA said operators were expected to comply with the directive and take responsibility for ensuring that their dispensing systems remained accurate and properly calibrated.
A university undergraduate has died after floodwater swept the vehicle she was travelling in with her father into a drainage channel in Asaba, Delta State.
The incident occurred on Monday at Okotimi Layout, behind the Asaba Specialist Hospital, following heavy rainfall in the area.
According to reports, the victim and her father were travelling in a Toyota Corolla when floodwater reportedly overwhelmed the road and pushed the vehicle into a drainage channel.
The victim, who was seated in the front of the car, reportedly called for help before she was swept away by the floodwater. Her father was rescued and taken to a hospital for medical attention.
The Delta State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), under the Ministry of Bureau for Special Duties, subsequently commenced a search operation for the missing undergraduate.
Commissioner for the Bureau of Special Duties, Ejiro Terry Etacherure, said the agency engaged divers in the search, which continued for two days.
The search ended on Wednesday after boat operators around the Otogwu River axis of Anwai Road alerted SEMA to a floating body.
According to Etacherure, a family member was contacted and identified the body as that of the missing undergraduate. An ambulance from the Asaba Specialist Hospital subsequently conveyed the remains to the hospital morgue.
Meanwhile, residents have raised concerns over the condition of the drainage channel, saying the incident was not the first time vehicles had been swept into the canal during heavy rainfall.
An eyewitness said vehicles, including a Mercedes-Benz GLK and a Lexus, had previously fallen into the same drainage channel.
Residents attributed the recurring incidents to inadequate drainage infrastructure and called on relevant authorities to urgently address the problem.
The deceased’s uncle, Andy Emephia, also appealed for attention to the drainage system, saying the family was devastated by the loss.
Residents have consequently called for urgent intervention to improve drainage infrastructure in the area and prevent further loss of lives and property during heavy rainfall.
By Chinedu Sabastine
ENUGU — No fewer than four communities in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State — Mpu, Okpanku, Ndiabor and Oduma — have been ravaged by severe flooding, displacing residents and destroying houses, shops, rice mills, farmlands and other property worth millions of naira.
The flooding, which began on September 20, worsened on Tuesday and Wednesday, submerging parts of Afor Okpanku, Ivo Bridge and adjoining roads.
More than 10 houses reportedly collapsed on Wednesday, while rice, yam and cassava farms were washed away by the rising waters.
As of press time, residents were evacuating their families and belongings to safer locations as heavy rainfall continued in the area.
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The councillor representing Mpu Ward, Hon. Edwin Ogbuka, described the situation as life-threatening, saying several houses and farmlands had been affected.
Ogbuka called for urgent government intervention and attributed the flooding to the overflow of water from the abandoned Ivo Dam project.
A community leader in Mpu, Mr Chukwu Magnus Dele, said six villages in the community had been affected, with displaced residents taking refuge at Amachalla Town School.
He appealed to the government and relevant emergency agencies to urgently provide relief materials and other assistance to the victims.
Similarly, the Youth Leader of Okpanku, Mr George Ahaefuna, described the disaster as unprecedented.
“Since I was born, I have never seen this kind of flood in my life. The flood has destroyed all we have laboured for this year.
“It has destroyed our crops, rice and yam farms worth millions of naira. I am appealing to the Federal Government, Enugu State Government, Aninri Local Government, NEMA and SEMA to come to our aid,” he said.
A shop owner at Afor Okpanku Market, Mrs Patricia Chukwu, said goods worth millions of naira had remained submerged for two days.
“This development is devastating. This is the worst flood that has affected Okpanku in my generation.
“If you go inside the villages, you will see houses destroyed by the flood. I urge the government, spirited individuals, the Senator representing Enugu West, the House of Representatives member, the local government chairman and the House of Assembly member to assist those whose houses were destroyed so they can rebuild and return home,” she said.
The flooding was still worsening as of press time, with rain continuing to fall and more buildings and farmlands coming under water.
Residents said Okpanku had experienced major flooding on previous occasions, with community accounts citing 1939, 1965 and 2026 as major flood years.
Speaking on the incident, the Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area, Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku, expressed concern over the disaster, saying flooding occurs twice yearly in some parts of the area due to the uncompleted Ivo Dam project.
He said stakeholders were planning a joint visit to the Ivo Dam to assess the reservoir and explore possible repairs to prevent further flooding.
“I felt sad the moment I heard about the incident. Most communities in Aninri have been submerged by flooding, such as Okpanku, Mpu, Uhuezeoke in Ndiabor and parts of Ezineshi in Oduma.
“Crops, houses and businesses were destroyed. We are assessing the situation to know the level of damage this has caused,” he said.
Efforts to reach the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for their reactions were unsuccessful as of press time.
The South East Development Commission (SEDC) yesterday commenced the implementation of its South East Agro-Development Programme with the flag-off of a 200-hectare integrated model farm at Nomeh Unateze, Nkanu East, Enugu State.
Designed as a regional development intervention rather than simply a farming project, the initiative will integrate dairy, poultry, fisheries, fodder production, mechanisation, processing and practical agricultural training, while connecting surrounding smallholder farmers to inputs, technical support and markets through an out-grower programme.
The project reflects SEDC’s broader mandate to strengthen productive capacity and create sustainable economic opportunities across the South East, while aligning with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security, agricultural productivity, mechanisation, value addition and job creation. The Nomeh facility will serve as a pilot for developing and replicating similar agricultural interventions across the five states of the region, with the broader objective of increasing food production, strengthening agricultural value chains and enabling more people to participate in modern agriculture.
This is a summary of what happened yesterday. They can rewrite it to gain traction according to their audience
IBADAN — Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has denied claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Federal Government provided ₦50 billion to the state for the upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport, Ibadan.
Makinde made the denial on Tuesday while addressing supporters and stakeholders at the Makinde/Daura 2027 Presidential Town Hall meeting in Katsina.
The governor said the Federal Government did not give either him or the Oyo State Government ₦50 billion for the airport project, insisting that the ongoing expansion and rehabilitation works were being financed entirely by the state.
“My attention was drawn to an interview granted yesterday by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the President gave N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport to international standards,” Makinde said.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give me or Oyo State N50 billion to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The Ibadan Airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the funds of Oyo State.”
Wike had made the ₦50 billion claim during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout programme on Monday, saying the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government had supported the Oyo airport project.
The disagreement centres on the source and nature of funding for the airport’s ongoing upgrade.
Public records from Oyo State indicate that the state had previously identified the Ibadan Airport expansion as one of the projects to be financed through its infrastructure funding plans. The state government has also said that its airport proposal received presidential approval without financial obligations being placed on the Federal Government.
However, the competing claims by Wike and Makinde have not, so far, been accompanied by publicly released financial documents conclusively establishing whether a ₦50 billion Federal Government allocation or transfer was made specifically for the airport project.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s emerging political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Makinde seeking the presidency on the APM platform while Wike remains a serving Federal Government minister.
Further clarification from the Federal Government, Oyo State Government, or relevant financial and aviation authorities could help establish the precise source and amount of funding committed to the Ibadan airport project.
Two days after reports circulated online that the Umuahia Premier Club, Umuahia Branch had endorsed the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, Hon. Obi Aguocha for a second term, the Club has debunked the report, describing the purported endorsement as unauthorised and a departure from its non-partisan traditions.
In a rejoinder issued on Sunday and signed by its Branch Chairman, Premier Ako Obioma, and Branch Secretary, Premier Chuka Agomoh, the club said its attention had been drawn to a purported endorsement of a candidate contesting for elective political office on the platform of a particular political party.
The leadership said the club is, by its founding philosophy, a socio-cultural, non-partisan and unifying organisation established to foster fraternity, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, cultural solidarity, and the collective advancement of its members and communities.
“It is therefore not the character, tradition or mandate of the Club to adopt or endorse partisan political candidates,” the statement read.
The club said the purported endorsement constituted a significant departure from its established traditions and ethos, warning that it could generate avoidable disaffection, suspicion, and division among members who are entitled to hold divergent political preferences.
“It is acknowledged that the candidate purportedly endorsed is a member of the Club and is entitled, like every other citizen, to participate in the political process and pursue his legitimate political aspirations. However, membership of the Club cannot, in itself, constitute a basis for transforming the Club into a political platform or committing the collective identity of the Club to the political ambition of any individual member,” the statement said.
The club clarified that the gathering held on Sunday, September 20, 2026, was convened as its monthly general meeting and not as a political meeting or a forum authorised to deliberate upon and endorse a political candidate.
It noted that the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Legal Adviser, and four National officers from the branch were reportedly absent from the meeting, adding that the circumstances under which the purported endorsement was made required careful scrutiny.
“It is particularly disturbing that the meeting took place at the residence of the candidate concerned, thereby creating circumstances in which his political associates and party supporters were able to take advantage of the gathering to introduce and advance a partisan agenda that was neither part of the scheduled business of the Club nor sanctioned by its leadership,” the statement read.
The club further said a considerable number of those present were either relatively new members or persons not yet sufficiently conversant with its established procedures and conventions.
“In view of the foregoing, the purported endorsement, to the extent that it purports to represent the collective position of the Club or its Branch, is hereby expressly repudiated, condemned and declared unacceptable,” the statement said.
It warned that appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken against any member found to have deliberately misrepresented the position of the club, acted without authority, or brought its name into disrepute.
The club also reiterated that only the Chairman, Secretary, and Public Relations Officer are authorised to issue or circulate official publications on behalf of the club or the branch, adding that the Secretary and PRO must obtain the requisite approval of the Branch Chairman before issuing any official publication.
“Therefore, anyone who circulated or posted the purported endorsement should as a matter of urgency pull it down immediately,” the statement directed.
The club declared all publications, statements, endorsements or communications already circulated in connection with the purported endorsement as null, void, and of no effect, advising members and the general public to disregard them.
It called on members to remain calm, exercise restraint, and refrain from any action or publication capable of exacerbating the situation, stressing that the club’s unity, integrity, and continued cohesion remain paramount.
“Our political affiliations may differ; our cultural heritage unites us. Our individual political ambitions may vary; the collective interest of our Club and our clans must remain sacrosanct,” the statement concluded.
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