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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Apparently impressed about the swift manner the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) handled the issue of imported toxic fuel, the Oil and Gas Accountability and Probity Forum (OGAPF) said it was left with no option but to commend the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, and his management team.
According to the Forum, if not for the swift manner they handled the dangerous imported methanol blended petrol from Belgium, the damages would have been colossal.
In a press statement signed by the National Chairman, Comrade Timi Douglas and made available to journalists in Kaduna, the Forum acknowledged,”This is the first time NNPC management in recent time has been able to rise to a critical occasion that could have caused serious damage and hazards to innocent Nigerians.”
The statement further read: ‘We are known to be very critical about situations and operations in the oil and gas sector, but resolved to come out publicly to commend the Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, for taking up the challenge to inform Nigerians immediately. This step taken helped to avoid disaster and saved the lives and properties of our citizens.
“The impending damage presence of methanol in the imported PMS already supplied to our filling stations would have caused to cars, households and filling stations are better imagined.
“For working within the shortest period to withdraw all the products and restore sanity is a feat worthy of commendation.
“How the NNPC Boss promptly ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine) and the directive to immediately relocate key management staff to Lagos in search of sustainable solutions was the magic wand.
“No doubt, these actions helped to identify the cargoes with the toxic Fuel and quarantined them, while all the trucks that have left the depots were tracked and intercepted.”
The Forum, however, lauded the manner NNPC was able to restock the depot with cleaner fuels and inspected all the filling stations to ensure that they do not have the petrol that had excessive methanol.
Meanwhile, it urged NNPC to intensified efforts at increasing the supply of petrol into the market in order to bridge any unforeseen supply gap.
While blaming the four companies for having hands in the cargoes that brought Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) high in methanol into the country from Belgium, the Oil and Gas Accountability and Probity Forum maintained that the indicted companies must be fished out.
“Nigerians now know that long queues that resurfaced recently was caused by these ‘careless’ companies, who should have ensured the quality of products imported are properly checked and certified.
“We have observed and noticed that for the past three years to the 2021 yuletide season, Nigerians didn’t suffer long queues at filling stations across the country. For us, It is enough reason to give kudos to the current management of NNPC.”
