‘No plans for compensation over bad fuel, it’s not first time, Minister tells vehicle owners

The Nigerian government has initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances behind the distribution of adulterated petrol in the country.

Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, made the announcement following the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday while receiving questions from State House media.

The minister also said matters over damaged vehicles as a result of the “unusual” incident would also be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation but there were no conclusive plans yet on compensation.

When asked about those responsible for the importation of the adulterated fuel, the minister said: “The issue did not come up in council, but of course, you will recall I was here yesterday (Tuesday) to brief Mr President on the issue. I’m not in a position to disclose the identities of the companies, but there are some issues and we are actively tackling them.

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“Nobody has, before now, checked for methanol in our fuel, it’s not very usual and this is the first time this is happening and NNPC is very much up to the task. I will also convey your question to NNPC and maybe the Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, but we’re actively handling it and I want to assure you that the problem will be a thing of the past very soon.”

On compensation for Nigerians Sylva said: “I didn’t expect you to rush to any conclusions, there will be a major investigation to unravel everything and then let’s really get to the bottom of it before we can come back and tell you what is going to happen to the culprits.

“We know that some people’s vehicles must have also been damaged, that is also going to be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation,” he added.

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