The Nigerian government has ordered filling station owners and operators across the country to begin accepting Point of Sale payments and bank transfers from customers or face sanctions for non-compliance.
The statement directed all retail outlets to ensure the unrestricted use of PoS and bank transfers for the sale of petroleum products to ease the suffering of customers during the ongoing cash crisis period. In the statement, the agency said the move became obligatory due to reports from Nigerians that some filling stations are rejecting Point of Sale machines and bank transfers as payment methods from customers despite the current cash crunch.
NMDPRA said: “It has come to the attention of the NMDPRA that some retail outlets are not accepting the use of Point of Sale 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. The Federal Government has ordered filling stations to begin accepting PoS payments and bank transfers A statement by the General Manager of NMDPRA, an agency of government, has threatened to sanction defaulters The agency said it would work with security agencies to inspect filling stations and bring erring stations to book.
“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 agency also stated that it would work with security operatives to enforce the use of PoS machines and bank transfers as alternative payment for cash at filling stations, saying that oil marketers who ignore the directive will face its wrath. NMDPRA said: “The authority and security agencies will be at retail outlets to ensure compliance with this directive, and any filling station violating this directive will be duly sanctioned.
“We assure the general public of our commitment to ensuring good quality service in the sale and distribution of petroleum products nationwide.” The development comes as report of filling stations rejecting bank transfers and the use of PoS machines at their various stations emerged.
A respondent in an MRS filling station visited by ibomblog.com said petrol attendants reject bank transfers and PoS machines because they will not make any extra income. Taiwo Owolabi, one of the petrol attendants interviewed by ibomblog.com, said the current practice of not accepting bank transfers and using PoS is an order from their management. “Many bank transfers are not going through. Some people can also use bank transfers to scam attendants. Our Pos machines have developed a fault due to the volume of transactions,” the agent stated.
