*Members of the House of Representatives, in the National Assembly, Abuja, have raised a ‘motion of urgent public importance’ and urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to suspend the four companies responsible for importation of methanol-adulterated fuel into the country

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

Concerned about the untold adverse effects of ‘methanol-adulterated’ petrol on consumers over the last few days in the economy, members of the House of Representatives, in the National Assembly (NASS), Abuja, FCT, have petitioned the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to suspend the four companies which recently imported the ‘adulterated’ petroleum product into the country.

ConsumerConnect reports the Federal lawmakers also mandated the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) to investigate the release and sale of the off-spec Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by petrol stations across the country.

Nigerian House of Representatives in a plenary in Abuja

Chief Whip of the House, Mohammed Monguno, who raised the issue at the plenary Thursday, February 10, 2022, as a motion of urgent public importance, asked the House of Representatives to mandate the NNPC to bring the culprits to book over the infractions and attendant soci-economic dislocations caused consumers in the Nigerian economy in the last few days.

Earlier, the NNPC Limited had disclosed the identities of the four defaulting oil importers as MRS, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, Oando and Duke Oil respectively.

Malam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO) of the national oil company Wednesday, Febraury 9, 2022, after a meeting with some oil marketers in a bid to resolve burning issues generated by the recent supply and discharge of methanol-blended petrol in some Nigerian depots.

The NNPC GMD/CEO had explained how ‘adulterated’ Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from Belgium and listed the said companies as the culprits in the distressing fuel supply situation in the country’s economy.

NNPC’s investigation revealed the presence of Methanol in PMS cargoes of the companies, said the NNPC Chief.

Aftereffects on consumers, motorists and economy

The House of Representatives members during the plenary Thursday also, expressed concern about the damaging effects of the adulterated petrol on vehicles, and the resultant high cost of transportation of goods and service delivery in the country’s economy.

It was also gathered that some of the lawmakers lamented that the system was completely compromised, considering the processes which the fuel must go through before reaching the fuel stations across Nigeria.

The legislators asked the appropriate to demand compensation for the Nigerian consumers, whose vehicles and equipment were directly affected by the adulterated fuel.

Following the discovery of the adulterated fuel, long queues had resurfaced in Abuja, Lagos, and now several other parts of the country, according to reports.

ConsumerConnect checks at various filling stations Wednesday, in Ikeja, Agege and Ogba, in Lagos State further indicated there was palpable clear anxiety in the air, as several petrol stations even did not open for business because of scarcity of the product in the country.

Some fuel stations were locked up while a few others that opened in the Ojodu-Berger area of the Lagos had motorists waiting in long queues to buy fuel.