Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, has confirmed that contaminated Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, was imported into the country by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
For this reason, NMDPRA said on Tuesday it may return to the overseas supplier of the product.
Oil marketers estimated that about 100 million litres of contaminated petrol were imported into Nigeria and had been recalled by the Pipelines Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NNPC.
The recall caused severe queues in Abuja, Lagos, Niger, Nasarawa and many other states, as the few petrol outlets that dispensed products were crowded by motorists and other PMS users.
Many other filling stations were shut down on Tuesday for lack of products to sell, while black marketers greeted various major roads in Abuja, selling products to interested consumers.
It was also gathered that though efforts were being made to address the concerns, the queues and shortage of petrol might drag till this weekend.
The NMDPRA said in a statement it issued in Abuja that a limited quantity of PMS with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification was discovered in the supply chain.
The statement read in part, “To ensure vehicular and equipment safety, the limited quantity of the impacted product has been isolated and withdrawn from the market, including the loaded trucks in transit.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 the NNPC Limited 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 the NNPC Limited. The NNPC Limited and all oil marketing companies have been directed to sustain sufficient distribution of petrol in all retail outlets nationwide.”
(PUNCH)
