By Emmanuel Nduka
THE Nigerian Government on Wednesday said it will launch an investigation to unravel the circumstances behind the circulation of adulterated petrol with methanol quantities above the country’s specification.
This was revealed by the country’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva while fielding questions from State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the Government was “actively tackling” the issues around the “adulterated petrol”, while calling for more patience to end the investigation before any move to reveal the culprits behind the incidents.
Sylva added that matters over damaged vehicles as a result of the “unusual” incident would also be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation.
The Minister said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, could handle the current development.
“Nobody has, before now, checked for methanol in our fuel, it’s not very usual and this is the first time this is happening,” he noted.
On Tuesday, the Government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) confirmed that adulterated petrol; fuel with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification, was discovered in the supply chain.
“Limited quantity of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification was discovered in the supply chain. Methanol is a regular additive in petrol and is usually blended in an acceptable quantity.
“To ensure vehicular and equipment safety, the limited quantity of the impacted product has been isolated and withdrawn from the market, including the loaded trucks in transit. Our technical team in conjunction with NNPC Ltd and other industry stakeholders will continue to monitor and ensure quality petroleum products are adequately supplied and distributed nationwide.
“The source supplier has been identified and further commercial and appropriate actions shall be taken by the Authority and NNPC Ltd.
“NNPC Ltd and all Oil Marketing Companies have been directed to sustain sufficient distribution of Petrol in all retail outlets nationwide. Meanwhile, NNPC has intensified efforts at increasing the supply of Petrol into the market in order to bridge any unforeseen supply gap,” the NMDPRA statement read.
