The Federal Government is preparing a nationwide crackdown on traders and businesses accused of short-changing customers through inaccurate measurements, targeting markets, filling stations, supermarkets and other commercial outlets.
The planned enforcement drive will involve unannounced inspections, test purchases and joint operations aimed at detecting and penalising traders who sell less than the quantities customers pay for.
Dr Salim Mohammed, Director of the Weights and Measures Department in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, disclosed the plan in an interview in Abuja.
He said the department would work with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the National Metrology Institute of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria to enforce compliance.
Under the initiative, tagged Full Measure, Fair Trade, the government plans to publish enforcement results and identify repeat offenders.
“No buyer should be cheated, and no seller should be cheated. Accurate measurement is the baseline of trust and confidence in trade,” Mohammed said.
He described short measures as an additional burden on Nigerians struggling with rising living costs, saying consumers lose money whenever they receive less than the quantity purchased.
“In a period of economic hardship, every short litre and every short kilogram is a direct tax on the poorest households,” he said.
The proposed inspections will cover petroleum products, open markets, supermarkets, pharmaceuticals, aviation, agriculture and export terminals.
Mohammed said the department would also conduct announced verification exercises and mystery-shopper test purchases to establish whether businesses comply with prescribed measurement standards.
He warned traders against using unauthorised measuring units for commercial transactions, noting that the metric system remains the legally recognised standard.
Traditional measures such as mudu, derica and kongo, he said, are not legally recognised for commercial transactions unless their production and use are approved by the department.
The department will engage state governments, market associations and private-sector organisations to raise awareness before enforcement begins.
Nigeria’s Weights and Measures Department operates 38 state offices and an office in the Federal Capital Territory, alongside seven zonal offices and its headquarters in Abuja.
Mohammed also highlighted efforts to improve measurement standards in industry, citing the training of 58 technical personnel at Dangote Cement Plc’s Ibese plant in Ogun State for weighbridge competency certification.
He said accurate measurement was essential not only to protect consumers but also to prevent revenue leakages and improve business accountability.
The proposed crackdown comes as households face pressure from the rising cost of essential goods, making enforcement against under-measurement a key consumer-protection issue.
However, the department is yet to announce a specific commencement date for the nationwide operations.
