By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The federal government has said it would sanction any petrol station in the country refusing to accept the Point of Sale (POS) method of payment or other mobile and card payments from its customers.
This is in reaction to a story published by Business Post on Tuesday that oil marketers were rejecting card payments from consumers amid the scarcity of Naira notes in circulation due to the redesigning of the local currency. They blamed the poor network of their banks for the action.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the General Manager in charge of Corporate Communication and Stakeholders Management of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the retail outlets were directed to accept payments for petroleum products through POS and other online means.
The agency said this was not the time to frustrate Nigerians, as the government was working hard to alleviate their pains, noting that it would not accept attempts to jeopardise this.
“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 at 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.
“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.
“We reassure the general public of our commitment to ensuring good quality service in the sale and distribution of petroleum products nationwide,” the statement said.
Adedapo Adesanya