The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is yet to recall all the contaminated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imported into Nigeria over two weeks ago.
This has resulted in the prolonged shortages and scarcity of the product in some parts of the country.
As a result, some of the affected oil marketers have resolved to start blending the over 100 million liters of adulterated PMS and start selling back to end-users.
The marketers claim that the inability of the NNPC to withdraw the affected oil had made it difficult for filling stations to take delivery of new products to sell to their customers, a development that worsened the scarcity of petrol, resulting in massive queues across the country.
The Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Ukadike Chinedu, told newsmen that some retailers in Lagos have started blending the adulterated PMS with clean fuel.
He added, “I also want to tell you that in our members’ filling stations, some of the ones I know in Port Harcourt, Ichie and Obigbo in Rivers State, as well as a few in Abuja, I have their names and numbers, the (adulterated) products are still in their tanks now.
“And they have been running helter-skelter to see whether they will be able to get fresh products to blend the ones in their tanks and push all of it out to the public.
“This is because we got information that some of our members who are in Lagos are bringing in fresh products to blend with the contaminated ones and neutralize the sulfur and methanol.”
However, he noted that many filling stations are yet to get new supplies that were enough to blend the adulterated products in their tanks.
“But unfortunately up till now they (filling stations) have not got new supplies and that is one of the basic reasons for the scarcity you see here and there across the country,” he stated.
When asked whether marketers have the capacity or equipment to blend the adulterated products with clean fuel, Ukadike replied that they were ready to try it, since the NNPC had yet to recall the products.
According to him, “The NNPC has a blending plant which could have done this thing clinically and make it more appropriate. But we have waited for weeks now and nothing has been done.
“You know, we don’t have testing machines, so marketers just want to do this permutation, considering the huge amount spent on the purchase of the products and to help to address petrol scarcity.”
