Heads to roll as FG probes importation of adulterated petrol

The federal government will launch an investigation to unravel the circumstances behind the circulation of adulterated petrol with methanol quantities above the country’s specification.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, announced this Wednesday while fielding questions from State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting.

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The minister also said matters over damaged vehicles as a result of the “unusual” incident would also be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation.

Sylva, who said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, could handle the current development, said: “Nobody has, before now, checked for methanol in our fuel, it’s not very usual and this is the first time this is happening”.

When asked about those responsible for the importation of the adulterated fuel, the minister said: “The issue did not come up in council, but of course, you will recall I was here yesterday (Tuesday) to brief Mr President on the issue. I’m not in a position to disclose the identities of the companies, but there are some issues and we are actively tackling them.

“Nobody has, before now, checked for methanol in our fuel, it’s not very usual and this is the first time this is happening and NNPC is very much up to the task. I will also convey your question to NNPC and maybe the Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, but we’re actively handling it and I want to assure you that the problem will be a thing of the past very soon.”

Asked if there was any plan to blacklist the companies that supplied the adulterated fuel and compensate people whose vehicles had already been damaged, Sylva said: “I didn’t expect you to rush to any conclusions, there will be a major investigation to unravel everything and then let’s really get to the bottom of it before we can come back and tell you what is going to happen to the culprits. We know that some people’s vehicles must have also been damaged, that is also going to be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation.”

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who attended the post FEC briefing, said the contaminated fuel did not affect the aviation industry.

“The question regarding whether there is fuel contamination that affects civil aviation, there’s none, to my knowledge, as of now.”

Daily Trust gathered that people who usually inspect the fuel on behalf of the NNPC before it is shipped to the country were mainly foreigners.

On Tuesday, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), confirmed the circulation of adulterated petrol with methanol quantities above the country’s specification.

At least 100 million litres of adulterated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were said to be in circulation in the country.

A European company was believed to have imported the product on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

Daily Trust reports that the “bad” product had already gone across Lagos, Abuja, Cross River, Delta and many other states, with attendant queues as stations try to withdraw the ‘bad’ fuel.