Buhari Govt To Probe Import Of Adulterated Petrol

The Muhammadu Buhari-led government has announced its decision to investigate the import and supply of adulterated Premium Motor Spirit also known as Petrol.

Naija News reports that since Monday, fuel scarcity hit some major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and other places due to contaminated petrol products in circulation.

On Tuesday, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) confirmed that adulterated petrol with methanol quantities above the country’s specification was discovered in the supply chain.

The authority said to ensure vehicular and equipment safety, the limited quantity of the contaminated product has been isolated and withdrawn from the market, including the loaded trucks in transit.

Addressing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the government will get to the bottom of the incident.

The minister added that President Buhari gave the order to investigate the matter and directed the immediate handling of the issue after briefing him on Tuesday.

He, however, asked for time and cautioned against drawing conclusions before the investigation is completed and the culprits behind the incidents are brought to book.

Sylva stated that matters over damaged vehicles as a result of the use of the contaminated fuel would also be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation.

He said: “Nobody has, before now, checked for methanol in our fuel, it’s not very usual and this is the first time this is happening.”