Adulterated Petrol : Between Apology And Accountability

It is written in the Bible Book of Proverbs Chapter 15 verse one that “Soft Answer turns away wrath but grievous words stir-up anger”.
In this regard, it is pleasing to note that President Muhammadu Buhari through his aide, Garuba Shehu has apologized for the inconvenience caused by the prolonged scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly referred to as petrol or fuel.
The apology, no doubt, goes to recognize and acknowledge the challenges and indeed the plights of the ordinary citizens as well as what they are going through arising from the prolonged scarcity of petroleum products including fuel, diesel, and kerosene as well as cooking gas.
However, because of the complicated heterogeneous nature of Nigerian public and its problems, the apology has attracted divergent views.
For instance, it is common knowledge that in the month of February 2022, the Federal Government disclosed and confirmed the importation of adulterated petrol in the country and went further to request independent marketers, Petroleum Product Retail Owners Outlet to quarantine and withdraw the adulterated petrol from the public space.
Speaking on the development in an interview, the President of Petroleum Product Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria Dr. Billy Gillis Harry confirmed that members of his association have withdrawn and quarantined the contaminated products in compliance with the Federal Government directive.
“We had even directed our members to quarantine the product before Federal Government’s directive. Members were also directed not to sell the contaminated product and we are calling on NNPC to work closely with the Association, PETROAN”
This is the architect behind transportation difficulty ravaging the nation to the extent that small scale businesses are closing down.
President Buhari’s apology therefore seems to address only the challenges associated with prolonged fuel scarcity but evasive and taciturn on the sin of importation of adulterated petrol and its attendant hazards to humans, cars engines and the environment.
To this end, the question agitating the critical minds is what constitutes adulterated fuel?
Explaining what constitute adulterated fuel in an interview, a Professor of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Rivers State University, Professor Awajiogak Ujile identified the causes of adulterated petrol to include what he called effect of Oxygenates that are wrongly added or not added at the right proportion resulting in incomplete combustion.
The University don explained oxygenates to mean solvents used to blend petroleum to facilitate combustion describing the solvents to include methanol, naphtha, benzene and ethanol among others.
The academic insisted that such wrong application of oxygenates particularly Methanol could be injurious and hazardous to human beings, car engines and the environment.
Similarly, in an interview, the Chairman Petroleum Product Retail Outlet owners Association of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter, Sir Francis Dimkpa, confirmed the presence of the contaminated fuel in the State.
“According to him, “my members have also fixed cars and replaced fuel for members of the public who complained of the adverse effect of the adulterated product. We appealed to buyers of petrol for domestic use to exercise caution and exhibit understanding because retail outlet owners are not responsible for the importation of adulterer fuel”.
In a separate interview, an industrial chemist, Solomon Iyobu-Oki said, a certificate of analysis by NNPC, its partners and representatives would have saved Nigerians from the hazardous content of the adulterated fuel.
This, according to Iyobu-Oki, would provide analysis on the product with respect to required specification.
Evidence shows that the Federal Government had disclosed that it has launched a probe into the case of adulterated fuel in the country.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Silva while addressing State House correspondents in Abuja on the 9th of last February after Federal Executive Council meeting said the Federal Government has initiated process of investigating the supply of the adulterated fuel adding that Government was considering possible compensation for affected retail outlet owners.
Addressing the lower chamber of National Assembly Committee, on invitation, the Group Managing Director of NNPC Limited Mele Kyari said: “partners involved in the importation maintained that they imported the right specification and that NNPC did not conduct their test”.
In the words of Mele Kyari, What the partners are saying is that “I bought the products that is based on NNPC’s specification and therefore did not bring adulterated product”.
To this end, the Federal Government must go beyond mere apology to the citizens to punish defaulting marketers and affected officials of upstream, midstream commissions and their partners involved in the importation of adulterated petrol.
This is because methanol is hazardous to human health and car engines.
An expert in Environmental Engineering Technology who is also an alumnus of Petroleum Training Institute Effurun Delta State, Dr. Precious Baridoo advocated a methodology called repair, operate, recover investment and handover at the expiry of an agreed date where the Federal Government cannot revamp the four ailing refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.
Speaking in a telephone interview with the President Retail Outlet Owners Dr. Billy Gillis Harry earlier cited above: “There is a lot of improvement but there is no compensation yet. We are engaging the authorities to let them see the need to pay compensation”.
Perhaps what is pertinent would be to revamp the four ailing refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.
Dr. Precious Baridoo further opined that the Federal Government must see the urgent need to engage experts and related professionals through which an agreement would be entered into to address local refineries and in turn address fuel scarcity in the country rather than mere apology.
The show of shame characterized by trading words and counter accusations between NNPC and its partners over the adulterated fuel so evinced by the response of Mele Kyari during his appearance at the National Assembly is not acceptable.
This is because the exposure of chemical solvent such as Methanol more than allowable quantity is hazardous to not only engines but human health.
It would be recalled that during the outbreak of killer gin also known as ‘Kai-Kai’ in 2015, it was reported that the deadly gin had more than allowable quantity of Methanol and ethanol.
It is on record that the said deadly gin adversely affected the central nervous system of victims wherein they lose sight and became blind, witnessed Kidney failure and coma-like or partial seizure were observed before they died.
If it is the same methanol, ethanol, naphtha and benzene, the government cannot afford to benelize and trivialize the lives of its citizens.
Accountability and not apology is strategic.
The authority concerned must also compensate retail outlets owners who probably borrowed money from a bank to purchase the contaminated fuel to enable them recover their investments and remain in business.
The time to act is now.

By: Baridorn Sika
Sika is a Port Harcourt based Journalist and Public Affairs Analyst.