The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) has emphasised the need for enhanced collaboration between regulatory agencies and key stakeholders in Nigeria’s petroleum industry to strengthen compliance with industry regulations.
Speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary of FMITI, Nura Abba Rimi, underscored the importance of fostering stronger ties between government ministries, agencies, and businesses.
Rimi, who was represented by the Deputy Director of the Weights and Measures Department, Olajide Bamidele, stated that such collaboration would enhance regulatory compliance and bolster public confidence in Nigeria’s trade measurement system.
The workshop, themed “Enhancing Business Profitability and Customer Patronage through Regulatory Compliance,” aimed to educate industry stakeholders on the significance of legal metrology in Nigeria’s midstream petroleum sector.
Rimi highlighted the critical role of measurement integrity and traceability in the oil and gas industry, noting that gaps in compliance had persisted in the midstream sector.
He pointed out that operators in the mainstream petroleum industry must adhere to key legal metrology regulations, including technical standards and measurement requirements.
Calling on industry players to align with regulatory metrology standards such as calibration, verification, measurement traceability, and standardisation, Rimi stressed that compliance was essential in curbing illegal practices in the sector.
“Stakeholders must actively participate in forums like this workshop to understand their responsibilities in improving the country’s economic framework,” he said.
“All hands must be on deck, as the government cannot do this alone. Stakeholders must be willing to learn and adhere to the legal frameworks guiding their operations.”
Also speaking at the event, Geoffrey Jwan, Deputy Director of the Oil and Gas Measurement Division, Weights and Measures Department, identified several challenges hindering the enforcement of legal metrology compliance in Nigeria’s midstream petroleum sector.
Jwan cited regulatory inconsistencies, funding constraints, and jurisdictional overlaps among sister regulatory ministries and agencies as key issues affecting compliance enforcement.
He explained that, unlike in other countries where weights and measures agencies operate as independent or semi-autonomous bodies, Nigeria’s department functions as an intra-ministerial entity, which limits efficiency.
“Globally, weights and measures bodies are either semi-autonomous or semi-independent. However, in Nigeria, we operate within a bureaucratic system, which affects decision-making and funding allocations,” he stated.
“If we were an independent agency, we would receive funding directly from the government, with a managing director overseeing our operations, enabling us to make faster and more effective decisions.”
Jwan called on the National Assembly to review the Weights and Measures Act, last updated in 1979, to align with modern industry practices and strengthen penalties against regulatory defaulters.
In her remarks, Mrs Ajayi Comfort, the South-South Regional Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), speaking on behalf of the agency’s managing director, pledged NMDPRA’s support for FMITI’s regulatory initiatives.
She urged stakeholders to view the Weights and Measures Department not as an obstacle, but as a crucial mechanism for promoting transparency, accountability, and profitability in business operations.