By Joseph Edegbo :
The Oil and Gas Accountability and Probity Forum (OGAPF) has commended the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company ( NNPC),Mr. Mele Kyari and his management team for the swift manner they handled the imported methanol blended petrol from Belgium by some companies.
The forum in a statement signed by the National Chairman, Comrade Timi Douglas noted that ,”This is the first time NNPC management 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 a very critical partner in the oil and Gas sector, but resolved to come out publicly to commend the Group Managing Director ,Mele Kyari and his team for taking up the challenge to inform Nigerians immediately , because the swift actions have helped to avoid disaster and saved lives and properties .
“The damage the presence of methanol in the imported PMS already supplied to our filling stations would have caused to cars , households and even filling stations are better imagined.”
The forum reiterated ,” For working within the shortest period to withdraw all the products and restored sanity is a feat worthy of commendation.
“However, in order to prevent the distribution of the petrol, the NNPC CEO said the company promptly ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).
“We gathered that the GMD immediately relocated key management staff to Lagos in search of sustainable solutions.
“We are also aware that the NNPC was able to identify the cargoes with the toxic Fuel and quarantined them , while all the trucks that have left the depots were tracked and intercepted.”
It is also gratifying to hear that NNPC was able to restock the depot with cleaner fuels and sent officials to inspect all the filling stations to ensure that they do not have the petrol that had excessive methanol.
Meanwhile, it urged the NNPC to intensify efforts in increasing the supply of petrol into the market in order to bridge any unforeseen supply gap.
While blaming the four companies of having hands in the cargoes that brought Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) high in methanol into the country, 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 ensure that the quality of product imported are checked and certified .
“We have observed and noticed that for the past three years to the 2021 yuletide season, Nigerians did not suffer long queues at filling stations across the country. For us , this is enough reason to give kudos to the current management of NNPC.
