AFTER recalling a bad product imported into the country last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited began the week by assuring Nigerians that distribution of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) would soon return to normal.
Adetunji Adeyemi, the NNPC Group Executive Director (GED) Downstream, gave the assurance at a briefing in Abuja, saying that concerted efforts were being made to resolve the petrol supply challenges.
Adeyemi stated that the company expects to sell over 2.3 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in the country by the end of February, with over 1 billion litres currently being distributed across the country.
He assured that the product being dispensed at various filling stations across the country was safe, noting that the expected 2.3 billion litres would bring the country’s sufficiency level above the 30-day national target.
Adeyemi explained that the company had started operating 24 hours a day at its depots and retail outlets in order to speed up PMS distribution across the country.
He revealed that the NNPC had formed a monitoring team with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and other security agencies to ensure that PMS was distributed smoothly across the country.
Meanwhile, Abdullahi Gaya, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), assured Nigerians that his committee would deal with companies importing methanol-blend Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) into the country.
Gaya was quoted as responding to a question from one of the committee members in a statement by Garba Deen Muhammad, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC Limited.
Gaya spoke at a meeting with the NNPC’s management on the country’s current fuel situation, which was organized by his committee.
According to the NNPC CEO/GMD, Mele Kyari, who briefed the committee the situation arose as a result of the discovery of methanol in PMS cargoes shipped to Nigeria under the existing commercial contract operated by NNPC and its partners.
Kyari claims that tests did not reveal the presence of methanol because methanol is not included in Nigeria’s specifications.
“We are a law-abiding company. There is no way we could have known about the methanol presence.
“The only way we could have known about it is if our suppliers, in good faith, made the disclosure to us.
“In this particular instance, the discovery was made by our inspection agents who noticed the emulsification at the filling stations and brought it to our attention.
“Subsequent investigation revealed that the four cargoes which are all from the same source also contained methanol-blended PMS,” Mr Kyari said.
According to him, NNPC acted quickly to track down and quarantine all of the tainted products.
The NNPC CEO assured the Committee and Nigerians that measures had been put in place to speed up fuel supply and distribution in the country, saying the company had placed significant orders of over 2.1 billion liters of methanol-free PMS to ensure the queues disappeared in a matter of days.
He promised that the NNPC would work with the committee and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to figure out what was going on.
The NNPC CEO also expressed deep sympathy for Nigerians in light of the current situation, assuring them that adequate measures have been taken to ensure supply sufficiency and prevent future occurrences.
