The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, on Wednesday, has explained how ‘adulterated’ Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from Belgium got into the country undetected and the companies that brought it in.
Mr Kyari spoke about the problem which had led to PMS shortage and the emergence of queues in Abuja, Lagos, and several other states, at a late-night briefing in the nation’s capital.
The PMS, he said, had been imported into the country by four importers from Antwerp in Belgium with quality inspectors failing to detect the high level of Methanol it contained, first at the point of import in Belgium and at the point of arrival in Nigeria.
The NNPC boss did not give the date of import but disclosed that the NNPC found out about the situation late in January.
He listed the companies as MRS, Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium, Oando, and Duke Oil.
The NNPC GMD explained that the reason the Methanol contained in the PMS was not detected by checks was because, the quality checks do not include checks for Methanol percentage.
According to him, Cargoes quality certificates issued at load port (Antwerp-Belgium) by AmSpec Belgium indicate that the gasoline complied with Nigerian Specification.
He assured Nigerians that the NNPC was sourcing additional cargoes to meet PMS demands, and to prevent shortage of distribution of the petrol, they have ordered the quarantine of all un-evacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit, both in the truck & marine.
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