Substandard fuel importers must be held accountable — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed that producers and providers of the off-spec petrol imported into the country must be held accountable.

The federal government had on Tuesday said methanol found in recently imported fuel exceeded Nigeria’s specification.

The development has resulted in a shortage of petrol and queues reappearing in major cities including Abuja and Lagos.

The government on Wednesday said its national fuel reserve was short by 10 days as a result of this.

On Wednesday, the federal government said it will carry out a major investigation to know the circumstances surrounding the importation of adulterated fuel into the country.

In a late statement on Wednesday, the general managing director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, listed MRS, Oando, Duke Oil and Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium as the suppliers of the contaminated products.

Mr Buhari said the persons involved must “be held accountable for substandard services and or products sold by them” according to a statement by his aide, Garba Shehu.

“In a reaction to the issue of petroleum product shortages linked to the inadvertent supply of products of foreign origin into the Nigerian market, president Buhari said the protection of consumer interests is a priority of the present administration and is ready to take all necessary measures to protect consumers from hazardous products, loss or injuries from the consumption of substandard goods.

“The President directed that in line with the law, service providers must make full disclosure of relevant information concerning the consumption of their products and that dissatisfied consumers are entitled to a proper redress of their complaints,” the statement said.

It added that the president has given directives to the relevant government agencies to take every step in line with the laws of the country to ensure the respect and protection of consumers against market abuses and social injustices.