The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has said that the era of fake and adulterated petroleum products in the oil and gas delivery chain will soon become a thing of the past, given the recent introduction of the 3P (Petroleum Product Passport) App.
The app is a technology service solution that will enable PETROAN and critical stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to monitor quality and quantity of petroleum products sold at various outlets nationwide.
The 3P App was unveiled at an event attended by top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and major stakeholders in the oil and gas in Nigeria. At the same event, PETROAN inaugurated its Quality Assurance and Quality Control (PQAQC) compliance monitoring team.
Speaking to newsmen in an interview in Abuja, President of PETROAN, Dr Prince Billy Harry, said 3P is designed to check and ensure that no adulterated or fake petroleum finds its ways through the petrol station outlets operated by its members.
“Petrol products retail stations are the last mile and final point of sale in the petroleum supply chain. PETROAN is the touch point with the end consumer. This makes us the most important functional point in the entire supply chain. If we don’t checkmate what the consumer gets at that point, then there is trouble.”
According to him, there are various kinds of oil and gas explorers in the offshore, including operators of the black market.
“We want the consumer to be assured that the fake or adulterated products from outside the NNPC value chain will not be sold in our outlets. The 3P App is therefore designed to checkmate these bad products,” Dr Harry said.
Harry, who was former President of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (PHACCIMA), explained that the success of the 3P app rests squarely on the retail outlets.
“All retail outlets are required to retail only quality, approved petroleum products approved and supplied by the authorities. All products by our members must be accurate as approved by authorities. PETROAN will enforce compliance by all retail outlets,” Dr Harry said, stressing that the 3P app will ensure uniform petroleum products quality and quantity.
He also explained that the organsation’s ongoing sensitization campaign for 3P app will therefore enable the oil and gas industry in Nigeria to achieve zero tolerance to fake and adulterated products at point of sales nationwide.
Harry explained that the sensitization campaign, which is taking place at national, regional, state and local government levels, is being carried out by PETROAN’s PQAQC compliance team to ensure uniform compliance nationwide.
According to him, in summary, the introduction of the 3P is “to ensure clean and accurate supply of petroleum product supplies for Nigeria, from all retail outlets nationwide, and the PQAQC team will have to monitor the outlets to ensure that project is not compromised. The 3P app will enable our network, and even the stakeholders in the industry to standardize activities in the chain across the regions and states.”
Highlights of the launch were the delivery of two lectures titled, ‘The Importance of Quality Petroleum Products Usage in Our Society,’ and ‘The Essence of Monitoring and Compliance Team and Quality Control Petroleum Distribution in Our Nation’ by experts to herald the 3P.
The 3P will run on PETROAN’s heavy network of over 35,000 retail outlets, and more than 15,000 licensed DPR petroleum storage facilities (fuel dumps) scattered nationwide.
The outlets, Harry stressed, will ensure optimal distribution of petroleum products all over the nation, and also ensure that all impediments confronting her members in the course of transactions are nipped at the bud to pave way for the public to enjoy seamless and equitable service delivery.
He pointed out that since coming on board, PETROAN has unified all marketing associations as well as outlet owners in the petroleum products,’ downstream sector in Nigeria, “and has restored hope and future to real licensed petroleum gas outlets owners by reducing excessive charges, intimidations and molestations by touts who disguise as government agencies.
