Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, (GMD/CEO), Mele Kyari, has blamed the recent proliferation of adulterated fuel in the Nigerian market to importation from Antwerp, in Belgium.
In swift response, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, demanded the immediate resignation of GMD/CEO Mele Kyari, for admitting and allowing such to happen under his watch.
News of adulterated Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called fuel or petrol in Nigeria, broke earlier this week resulting in ‘scarcity’ of the commodity and with the attendant effect of long queues in filling stations.
Blaming the GMD Kyari, CNPP spokesman Chief Ezugwu, also called for the ban and prosecution of all the companies involved in the importation of the product for economic crimes.
CNPP statement reads in part:
“… Therefore, by admitting that the petrol passed quality inspection protocol employed in both the load port in Belgium and our discharge ports in Nigeria, Mr. Kyari cleverly shifted blame from the NNPC and the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to the importers having failed in their duties as a company and regulators.”
“We therefore demand the immediate resignation of the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, for admitting that the ill-fated cargoes had “quality certificates issued at load port” and at the same time that the “gasoline complied with Nigerian Specification…”
CNPP also stated that,
“Many innocent lives have been lost to kerosene and petrol related explosions in the country with no person or firm held to account.
“It is expedient that all the petroleum companies indicted in this particular deal be banned for life from importing petroleum products into the country and their owners diligently prosecuted.”
The Party therefore called on President Buhari to do something about the situation.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately institute a public probe of the circumstances surrounding the clearance of the cargoes in Nigeria”; adding that,
“It is time we stopped mouthing war against economic crimes and corruption.”
Recall that, adulterated fuel, with high level of methanol, and particles, found its way into the Nigerian market undetected by the regulatory authorities earlier this week.