From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has been advised to arrest, prosecute importers and distributors of adulterated fuel which has led to the scarcity of the product across the country.
The charge was contained in a statement signed by the National President of Competent Governance For Accountability And Civic Trust (CGACT), Godwin Erheriene, and Coordinator of  Global Gender Safety and Moral Development, GGSMD, yesterday.
They said that prior to the present fuel scarcity, other fuel scarcity experienced never had methanol added to PMS, which means methanol has never been tested which further indicates that PMS had always met the required specifications by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) but suddenly, methanol is now being tested.
They expressed concern that something went wrong with MRS, Oando, Duke Oil, and consortium Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U that the NNPC fingered in the saga.
Erheriene claimed that NNPC is subliminally pushing the narrative that the marketers are behind the adulteration and does not want to accept the possibility that the adulteration can perhaps be accredited to the foreign Company.
“If the government wants to get to the root it, then NNPC will not be the judge it’s own case. An independent body should be set up to look into the causative factors of scarcity in order to exenorate the innocent one and punish the guilty. From my standpoint, NNPC cannot feign ignorance.
“It will interest the public to know that amongst the companies supposedly accused of adulteration, Duke oil is a subsidiary of NNPC, meaning that NNPC is also an accomplice to the adulteration of the fuel because the presence of Methanol was in all the cargoes including their subsidiary.
“Now, at the load port in Antwerp-Belgium by AmSpec Belgium indicated that the gasoline complied with Nigerian Specification. This further means that the adulteration commenced on Nigeria’s shore.
“An eyewitness reports that the importers have their own inspectors which also confirm the specifications at arrival.
“NNPC quality inspector including GMO, SGS, Geocham and G&G conducted test before discharge also showed that the gasoline met Nigeria specification. This said cargoes were equally certified by an inspection agent appointed by Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDRA).
“To solve a puzzle, one must give in to logic. The ongoing brouhaha between NNPC and the marketers is a reflection of a judge presiding over his own case.
“Now let’s take a logical and objective look into the fuel scarcity so that the real culprits behind the adulteration of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will be fished out.
“Prior to this fuel scarcity, the reason for the scarcity has never been the presence of Methanol.
“So the question will be this: who will benefit more from an adulterated fuel between NNPC, marketers and Amspec?
“So other questions are these: Did the imported PMS meet NNPC specifications? Because the specifications are given to the suppliers both at loading port and discharging port in here in Nigeria;
“Was the product duly tested and cleared by international cargoes inspectors? If the answer to the above is yes, then why was the discharging of these products from the mother vessel into daughter vessels and finally discharging same to the various depots directed by NNPC?
“The above questions are food for thought. NNPC should not shift the blame through the projection of the marketers as the trigger of fuel scarcity.”