The Nigerian government says it has found an unsafe quantity of methanol in petrol imported into the country, and has cited that as reason for the latest round of fuel shortage that has led to long queues in Abuja and other major cities.
The government said methanol, a substance that is usually present in petrol, found in the product exceeded Nigeria’s specification. . This has led to the affected fuel being kept off the supply chain, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority said Tuesday.
Nigerians especially in Abuja and Lagos have endured erratic supply of fuel for nearly a year now, with filling stations operating at reduced capacity despite the government’s repeated claims it has enough stocks.
The crisis started in 2021 after the government announced its plan to remove fuel subsidy. Marketers, who the regulators accuse of hoarding the product, have refused to resume normal operations even after the suspension of the subsidy removal plan.
A PREMIUM TIMES correspondent who visited petrol stations in Abuja on Tuesday morning found that some filling stations were shut against buyers, while others were besieged by motorcyclists, tricycle owners, as well as private and commercial drivers.
Many filling stations in the Wuse, Gwagwalada, Bannex areas of Abuja are sold to buyers at prices ranging from N162 to N165.
At one of the NNPC outlets in the Central Business District, there was a huge crowd at the station Tuesday morning, as motorists struggled to buy petrol.
“This is how we see the queue this morning but I must tell you that there are no issues. We have the product and we are selling it at N162,” an official at the station said.
Also, this reporter observed queues at Dan oil, A.A Rano, Nipco and Saddi fuel stations along Lugbe airport road.
At TotalEnergies filling station Zone 2 junction, motorists were seen navigating their ways into the middle of queues to get access into the station.
Eterna, located in the Central Business District, Azman oil and gas Ltd and Total Wuse Zone 5, was opened but did not also sell the product.
A cab driver, who gave his name as Vincent, said most of the fuel stations are hoarding the product and urged the federal government to go around the stations and enforce laws.
“Have been here for the past two hours and they are not selling fuel,” he said. “My advice to the government is that the DPR should go around because most of the fuel stations have fuel but they are not selling.”
“If they can go round and enforce laws then there will be no queue that there is no fuel but they refuse to sell. That’s the problem and we have been here but they are not selling. We are waiting for them,” he said.
Olabisi Olaniran, an ECOWAS official who also spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, said the federal government is playing a game with the masses.
“What I can say about this fuel scarcity, for now, is that the government just decides on what they want. They are using the head of the masses because I’m sure they know the right thing to do but they refuse to do it.
“It doesn’t mean we have fuel challenges in this country, there’s enough fuel but because the majority of Nigeria fuel stations belong to our leaders they always do something that will be in their favour they don’t care about the masses,” Mr Olaniran said.
“I must tell you that they know the game they are playing and this is very bad,” he said.
In its statement late Tuesday, the regulatory body said it had directed NNPC Ltd and all oil marketing companies to sustain sufficient distribution of petrol in all retail outlets nationwide.
The statement reads:
1. The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (The Authority) wishes to inform the general public that limited quantity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as Petrol, with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification was discovered in the supply chain.
2. Methanol is a regular additive in Petrol and usually blended in an acceptable quantity.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. The source supplier has been identified and further commercial and appropriate actions shall be taken by the Authority and NNPC Ltd.
6. NNPC Ltd and all Oil Marketing Companies have been directed to sustain sufficient distribution of Petrol in all retail outlets nationwide.
7. Meanwhile, NNPC has intensified efforts at increasing the supply of Petrol into the market in order to bridge any unforeseen supply gap.
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