As long queues surfaced across Lagos and Abuja yesterday over sudden fuel scarcity, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has blamed the situation on the withdrawal of petrol discovered to have contained methanol above Nigeria’s specification. According to a statement by the agency yesterday, the affected petrol was isolated and withdrawn from the market, including the loaded trucks in transit. Methanol is a regular additive in petrol and usually blended in an acceptable quantity. NMDPRA explained that the source supplier has been identified and appropriate actions would be taken. The agency said its technical team, in conjunction with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd and other industry stakeholders, would “monitor and ensure that quality petroleum products are adequately supplied and distributed nationwide.” It revealed that the NNPC Ltd and all oil marketing companies had been directed to sustain sufficient distribution of petrol in all retail outlets nationwide. The NMDPRA said NNPC had intensified efforts at increasing the supply of petrol into the market “in order to bridge any unforeseen supply gap.” Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN) has warned motorists against panic buying, saying petroleum products will be available from today.

The Sun