To ensure that all commercial transactions involving the use of weights and measures are accurate, fair and legal, the Weights and Measures Department in Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has sealed up no less than three dispensing pumps at NNPC Mega Filling Station in Wuse, Abuja.
Engineer Sidi Sada, the Acting Director, Weights and Measures in Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment said that every weighing equipment in all sectors of the economy, whether it is in Oil and Gas or non- Oil and Gas must be up to the required standard.
Engineer Sada said this while leading the Officials of the Department of Weights and Measures in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to carry out its statutory duty of conducting inspections of some selected organizations in both oil and gas as well as non – oil and gas companies in Abuja metropolis on the 6th of March, 2018.
Three dispensing pumps of the well-patronized NNPC Mega Filling Station in Wuse had to be sealed up when the officials of Weights and Measures discovered that for every 20litres of fuel dispensed to customers of the filling station, no less than point 35litres was found to be a shortage to customers.
Engineer Mohammed Sidi Sada and his team also visited Nigerian Bottling Company, Julius Berger Construction Company, Dangote Cement Depot, all at Iju Industrial Estate, Abuja and some filling stations among others.
At Dangote Cement, the officials noticed that some of the bags of Cement were over weighed and some were under weighed. Explaining the issue, Mrs. Halima Ibrahim, the Inventory Officer explained that the bags of Cement on ground were for promos and not for sale.
At Julius Berger, Officials of Weights and Measures expressed satisfaction with the weight and measures scale.
However, at the Nigeria Bottling Company, Abuja Depot, the Weights and Measures Department officials were obstructed from gaining access to the premises.
Engineer Sidi Sada, while speaking to journalists after the inspection of the Companies, said that legal proceedings may be instituted against the Nigeria Bottling Company for evasion of payment of the legal remissions in respect of weights and measures facility in its premises at Idu Industrial Estate, Abuja by the Legal Unit of the Ministry after the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry could have given a go-ahead to that.
The Surveillance team was also at the A.U.A Plaza to inspect the bagging of rice being sold. The Officials weighed some bags through random sampling. Some bags were found to be under-weighed, but the local branded rice was found to be in order.
Oando Filling Station at Wuse Zone 1, opposite NDE Headquarters, was also among the places visited. The Surveillance team found out that the weighing scale in the gas plant was over-weighing, which means customers will be short changed by 3kgs. The plant was immediately sealed off by the Ministry’s officials.
The Acting Director, Engineer Mohammed Sidi Sada, in an interview session with Press crew to round off the surveillance exercise, stated that the exercise is a routine one, and it will give Nigerians the assurance that the Federal Government is out to ensure that the citizens get a good quantitative bargain for any product purchased.
He also stated that the Department of Weights and Measures is out to ensure that there is sanity in weights and measures used in our markets and that erring manufactures or sellers as well as retailers who cheat in terms of quantity will be dealt with according to the law.
Signed:
Funmilayo Oloyinde
For: DD, Press Unit,
