The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has confirmed that petrol with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification was discovered in the supply chain.
Methanol, the government agency said in a statement on Tuesday, is a regular additive in petrol and usually blended in an acceptable quantity.
The statement comes as fuel scarcity worsens in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country.
Marketers had blamed the scarcity on bad fuel in circulation, but the Nigerian government kept quiet until the NMDPRA was forced by public outcry to release a statement.
“To ensure vehicular and equipment safety, the limited quantity of the impacted product has been isolated and withdrawn from the market, including the loaded trucks in transit
“Our technical team in conjunction with NNPC Ltd and other industry stakeholders will continue to monitor and ensure quality petroleum products are adequately supplied and distributed nationwide.
“The source supplier has been identified and further commercial and appropriate actions shall be taken by the Authority and NNPC Ltd.
“NNPC Ltd and all Oil Marketing Companies have been directed to sustain sufficient distribution of Petrol in all retail outlets nationwide,” the statement read in parts.
It concluded that the NNPC has intensified efforts at increasing the supply of petrol in order to bridge the supply gap.
Fuel queues are projected to remain in Lagos and other cities until the weekend.
