Agency enforces weights, measures for companies

To ensure that all commercial transactions involving the use of weights and measures are accurate, fair and legal, the Weights and Measures Department of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has sealed up no less than three dispensing pumps at an NNPC Mega Filling Station in Abuja.

Swooping on the unsuspecting companies, the Acting Director, Weights and Measures in Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Engineer Sidi Sada, who led the inspection team, said 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.

Three dispensing pumps of the wellpatronised NNPC Mega Filling Station in Wuse had to be sealed up when the officials of Weights and Measures discovered that for every 20 litres of fuel dispensed to customers of the filling station, no less than 0.35 litres were found to be a shortage to the customers.

Engr. Sada and his team also visited the Nigerian Bottling Company, Julius Berger Construction Company, Dangote Cement Depot, all at Idu Industrial Estate, Abuja, and some filling stations.

At Julius Berger, officials of theWeights and Measures expressed satisfaction with the weights and measures scales.

However, at the Nigerian Bottling Company, Abuja Depot, the Weights and Measures Department officials were obstructed from gaining access to the premises.

Sada, while speaking to journalists after the inspection of the companies, said legal proceedings might be instituted against the Nigerian Bottling Company for evasion of payment of the legal remissions in respect of weights and measures facilities in its premises at the Idu Industrial Estate by the legal unit of the ministry after the permanent secretary of the ministry would have given a goahead.