Toxic petrol: NNPC names MRS, Oando, Duke Oil, Emadep as importers

 

.Suppliers must be held accountable, punished-Buhari

 .Reps ask NNPC to suspend importers

.As PDP demands independent probe

.FG promises to end fuel scarcity.

 

Jonas Ezieke ,Abuja

 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has revealed that the Methanol-adulterated were found in four PMS cargoes imported by MRS, OANDO, Duke Oil, and Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium , all Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase (DSDP) suppliers.

 

Group managing director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, in a statement issued on Thursday, however, said he has since ordered the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).

 

It was also gath ered that importers has reassured Nigerians of its capacity to restore sanity in the supply and distribution of quality Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol across the country within a short period.

 

Kyari made the pledge at the end of a meeting with some oil marketers to resolve the issues generated by the recent supply and discharge of methanol blended petrol in some Nigerian depots.

 

Kyari emphasized that defaulting suppliers have been put on notice for remedial actions and NNPC is working with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA) to take necessary actions in line with subsisting regulations.

 

Providing a graphic chronicle of the unfortunate incident, the NNPC CEO said that on 20th January 2022,the company received a report from its quality inspector on the presence of emulsion particles in PMS cargoes shipped to Nigeria from Antwerp-Belgium.

 

He explained that NNPC investigation revealed the presence of Methanol in four PMS cargoes imported by the following Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase (DSDP) suppliers as listed in the table below.

 

2 Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium —- MT Tom Hilde —- LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium

 

3 Oando — MT Elka Apollon — LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium

 

4 Duke Oil —– MT Nord Gainer —-LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium

 

He noted that cargoes quality certificates issued at loadport (Antwerp-Belgium) by AmSpec Belgium indicated that the gasoline complied with Nigerian Specification.

 

“The NNPC quality inspectors including GMO, SGS, GeoChem and G&G conducted tests before discharge also showed that the gasoline met Nigerian specification,’’ he said.

 

Kyari noted that as a standard practice for all PMS import to Nigeria, the said cargoes were equally certified by inspection agent appointed by the NMDRA.

 

“It is important to note that the usual quality inspection protocol employed in both the load port in Belgium and our discharge ports in Nigeria do not include the test for Percent methanol content and therefore the additive was not detected by our quality inspectors’’ he stated.

 

However, in order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, the NNPC CEO said the company promptly ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that producers and providers of consumable products be held accountable for substandard services and or products sold by them.

 

According to Garba Shehu, a presidebtial aide on media and publicity in a statement, the President has also given directives to the relevant government agencies to take every step in line with the laws of the country to ensure the respect and protection of consumers against market abuses and social injustices.

 

In a reaction to the issue of petroleum product shortages linked to the inadvertent supply of products of foreign origin into the Nigerian market, President Buhari said the protection of consumer interests is a priority of the present administration and is ready to take all necessary measures to protect consumers from hazardous products, loss or injuries from the consumption of substandard goods.

 

The President directed that in line with the law, service providers must make full disclosure of relevant information with respect to the consumption of their products and that dissatisfied consumers are entitled to a proper redress of their complaints.

 

Meanwhile, The House of Representatives has said that the green chamber is working round the clock to ensure that it unravel those behind the recent artificial scarcity of premium motor spirit PMS and other petroluem products that has cause untold hardship on Nigerians lately.

 

Chainman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs. Hon.Benjamin Kalu gave the assurance during the weekly press briefing of the Committee at the National Assembly on Thursday.

 

Kalu who noted that the artificial scarcity which was caused by the importation od adulterated petroleum product regretted that the authorities in charge of monitoring such highly consumable products left it unchecked.

 

 

He said:” We still believe that some of the products are still in circulation. We ‘ve not been sleeping.

 

“The relevant Committees of the House ‘ll establish a joint panel to investigate the matter”.

 

 

Speaking further on the Electoral Act Amendment 2021, he said that the piece of legislation had been transmitted to the President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

 

He added that the amended Act is still within the  constitutional provision of a maximum of thirty days for the President to communicate his intention to give or withhold assent to the law to parliament.