The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) on its handling of the contaminated petrol motor spirit (PMS) and scarcity of the product experienced across Nigeria in recent times.

The NNPC had revealed that the scarcity was occasioned by the importation of adulterated fuel by suppliers.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, in Abuja, NYCN president, Solomon Adodo explained that the council had set up a task force to interface with relevant stakeholders to ascertain the situation.

Comrade Adodo who addressed journalists after an emergency session of the leadership of the council, said the task force of the NYCN wasted no time in carrying out its assignment and made so much discovery.

He said, “The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. led by Mele Kyari immediately ordered the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck and marine) after it discovered the presence of methanol in four petrol cargoes imported by MRS, Emadeb/ Hyde/Ay Maikifi/Brittania- U Consortium, Oando and Duke Oil.

“Our task force also found out that the NNPC also asked oil companies to embark on emergency supply of petrol to replace cargoes that were rejected as a result of their poor quality.

“These remedial actions aimed at arresting the use of the contaminated fuel inadvertently disrupted the country’s fuel supply chain and led to the damage of several cars.

“We are satisfied with the prompt action taken by the federal government in ordering for a full investigation into the bad fuel that damaged engines of some vehicles.

“In particular, we commend the transparency and full disclosure adopted by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. under the leadership of Mallam Mele Kyari in getting to the root of the problem. Without doubt, the decision of NNPC to order the quarantine of all unevacuated volumes of the contaminated fuel saved the nation from a monumental scandal.

“Without doubt, the decision of NNPC to order the quarantine of all unevacuated volumes of the contaminated fuel saved the nation from a monumental scandal. This is a welcome departure from the past when the activities of the oil giant was shrouded in secrecy.

“Already, Mele Kyari in pursuit of the transparency regime of NNPC under his leadership disclosed that the cargoes quality certification at the loading port in Belgium by Am Spec Belgium indicated that the product complied with Nigerian specification but that petrol brought into Nigeria usually does not include the test for the level of methanol content.

“In order to forestall future occurrence of importation of methanol blended fuel, a mechanism should be put in place to test the level of methanol content to make sure that it is in full compliance.

“The ongoing investigation by the federal government must be transparent, holistic, far reaching and targeted to prevent further occurrence. Government must impose punitive sanctions/ punishment on corporate entities found to be in breach of their mandate or liable for this scandal.

“We hereby call on government to compensate Nigerians whose vehicle engines were damaged by the methanol blended fuel.

“We call citizens not to engage in panic buying as NMDPRA has announced the arrival of 300million litres of fuel. This arrival will help resupply the nation’s disrupted fuel chain and clear the queues being experienced at filling stations.

“The scarcity of fuel that was experienced is not part of any secret plan of government to introduce full deregulation through the back door. The source of the problem has been identified and will be solved. The present administration has achieved so much in the petroleum industry and we are confident that it will do everything within its power to protect this legacy and pass it on to the incoming administration at the end of its tenure next year”, Adodo added.