The House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to immediately suspend the four companies said to be involved in the purchasing and supplying of the adulterated fuel into the country.
The House gave the directive through a motion by the Chief Whip, Hon. Mohammed Mongunu, at Thursday plenary.
It also asked NNPC to submit the deeds of purchase to the parliament for scrutiny.
The House mandated its Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) to ascertain the details of purchases of petroleum products made from January till date to ascertain whether they met with the international standards.
Furthermore, it ordered the committee to investigate the roles played by the NNPC limited, Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, Navy and all other regulatory agencies in the petroleum sector in the supply of the bad product.
This is coming as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited Group’s Managing Director, Mele Kyari, named MRS and three other dealers as the firms that imported the contaminated fuel into Nigeria.
Kyari was quoted as saying, “On January 20, 2022, NNPC received a report from our quality inspector on the presence of emulsion particles in PMS cargoes shipped to Nigeria from Antwerp-Belgium.
“NNPC investigation revealed the presence of Methanol in Four (4) PMS cargoes imported by the following DSDP suppliers namely:
“Importer vessel name load port,
1. MRS MT Bow Pioneer LITASCO Terminal, Antwerp-Belgium; 2. Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium MT Tom Hilde; 3. Oando MT Elka Apollon; 4. Duke Oil MT Nord Gainer.”
He said cargoes quality certificates issued at load port (Antwerp-Belgium) by AmSpec Belgium indicated that the gasoline complied with Nigerian specification.Kyari said NNPC quality inspectors including GMO, SGS, GeoChem and G&G conducted tests before discharge also showed that the gasoline met Nigerian specification.
“As a standard practice for all PMS import to Nigeria, the cargoes were equally certified by inspection agent appointed by the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has met Nigerian specification.
“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 per cent methanol content and therefore the additive was not detected by our quality inspectors.”
He noted that in order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, NNPC had ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck and marine).“All defaulting suppliers have been put on notice for remedial actions and NNPC will work with the authority to take further necessary actions in line with subsisting regulations,” Kyari stated.
This was, however, in contrast to the position of MRS.
The company stated that being one of the beneficiaries, MRS received the product in its depot and distributed the product to only eight of its stations in Lagos.
It explained that following delivery into tank, it was observed that the product appeared hazy and dark, adding that the management of MRS immediately directed that further sale(s) should be stopped and the product isolated.
The firm further stated that the allegation against MRS that it imported contaminated products, was therefore mischievous, false and untrue.
“MRS is not an importer of this contaminated PMS into the country, nor does MRS sell substandard products,” it stated.
