There are growing concerns following the disclosure of the Federal Government that it withdrew fuel supply after confirmation that there is circulation of adulterated petrol with methanol quantities above specification in the country.
The government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), had explained that the fuel was withdrawn to ensure the safety of vehicles and equipment.
Although the agency did not give the total volume of the adulterated product, oil marketers have estimated that about 100 million litres of contaminated petrol were imported into Nigeria. This has in turn led to artificial fuel scarcity, as queues hit many parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have began to react as several filling stations have been under lock and key, resulting to scarcity of fuel with black marketers storming various major roads in Abuja.
Below are some reactions harvested by The NewDiplomat from Twitter;
“Nigeria doesn’t have a culture of litigation that’s why NNPC can sell adulterated petrol that damaged people’s cars & many are not in court. Imagine it was in USA that this happened? There would be a class action by now running into billions of dollars.”(@ENIBOY)
“100 million of adulterated petrol circulating in the country. This is one of the greatest economic sabotage and scandal in Nigeria’s modern history
“In a sane clime everyone in NNPC will be sent packing. Mind you the adulterated petrol has been handsomely “subsidized” Frauds.”(@nafeezi)
“Somebody needs to sue NNPC for selling adulterated fuel ⛽ to Nigerians. This is a complete negligence of quality assurance. Many vehicles got damaged as a result of this and somebody needs to pay.”(shafiihamidu)
“4 vessels supplied adultrated fuel to Nigeria which is already in circulation!
My question is how did this happen that NNPC received the product and didn’t conduct a QQ on it?
So why are they still having their Jobs?”(@AlphacinoViruz)
Speaking with the media, Faruq Ahmed, the Chief Executive of NMDPRA had revealed that the regulatory body discovered four ships carrying the adulterated fuel.
He said the authority, with the help of relevant agencies, had done much to isolate and withdraw the adulterated product out of circulation, adding that the situation is not as bad as people perceived it.
In his words, “Some days back, four ships imported petroleum products to NNPC Limited. On arrival, we discovered that the product is blended with an unacceptable quantity of methanol, so we were able to stop all the ships supplying that particular product and stop the depots where it was uploaded in Calabar and Warri from distributing it.
“We were also able to stop many loaded trucks on transit, but some have already unloaded in filling stations but we succeeded in withdrawing the adulterated fuel out of circulation.
“As I am talking to you now, we have formed a committee with representatives from NNPC, NMDPRA, major marketers and depot owners, currently meeting in Lagos, on how they will rid the adulterated petrol out of depots before supplying the good product into the market.
“We also identified the company that shipped and sold the adulterated product to the NNPC Limited and we will take legal action against the company, and the NNPC will take care of the trade aspect of it,” he said.
