President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), be queried for the circulation of off-spec petrol products.
The off-spec product was discovered on Monday, disrupting the supply chain and causing long lines in Lagos and Abuja as filling stations closed to clean up tanks.
According to a report, a presidency source stated that Buhari believed the agency — which by law acts as the “police” of the downstream and midstream sectors — should be the starting point for unraveling the importation and subsequent circulation of the product.
The agency confirmed on Tuesday that petrol with methanol levels exceeding Nigeria’s specifications had been discovered in the supply chain.
The NMDPRA is in charge of regulating Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations, including technical, operational, and commercial activities.
Buhari, who was said to be concerned about the situation, directed Timipre Sylva, minister of state for petroleum resources, to immediately request that Ahmed explain how the product came to be.
“This matter has become an embarrassment to this government. There’s no question that these cargoes of petrol were bad, so he (Ahmed) is being queried over how the fuel came into the country and the president has so instructed,” the presidency source explained.
“The reason the midstream/downstream authority is being queried first is that for now, the bulk stops at its desk. They are the first port of call. Ordinarily, they are expected to know how it came into the country,” the presidency source added.
“This is because they are the police of the industry. How did it get past them into circulation? It is their job to know. They are the police who should stop bad fuel from coming into the country.
“So, the NNPC has not been queried for now. The question now is who certified the product clean enough to come into the country?
