The federal government has begun an investigation into the supply of contaminated gasoline to the country, which has caused major anxiety among motorists in recent days.
This came after President Muhammadu Buhari was briefed on the situation by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who stated to journalists on Wednesday that the goal is to get to the bottom of the matter.
Sylva warned against making conclusions before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential residence in Abuja.
When asked if the problem was discussed in the Council meeting and if the suppliers would be penalized, he responded, “The subject did not come up in Council, but as you will recall, I came here yesterday to update Mr. President on the issue.” I’m not in a position to reveal the names of the firms, but there are certain concerns that we are actively addressing.
“Nobody has ever looked for methanol in our gasoline before; it’s not very common, and this is the first time it’s happened, and NNPC is more than up to the task.”
“I will also forward your question to NNPC and maybe the Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, but we are currently working on it and I can tell you that the situation will be resolved very soon.”
The minister pledged that the government will consider compensating people who may have been harmed by the contaminated fuel.
“I didn’t expect you to jump to any conclusions,” Sylva said of prospective punishment for the corporations. There will be a massive investigation to uncover everything, and then we’ll truly get to the bottom of it before we can tell you what will happen to the perpetrators”.
“We realize that some people’s automobiles may have been damaged as well; this will also be taken into account in dealing with the problem.”
The Minister of State also commented on the council’s approval of his ministry, stating that the FEC closed out the contract for the construction of the 17-story local content building in Yenagoa at a cost of N1.81 7 billion.
“You will recall that Mr. President previously commissioned the project in 2020, There were certain auxiliary works that needed to be completed in order to link some of the buildings, which were now submitted to the council for the amount of N1.81 7 billion. This contract is now closed, and we have informed the contractor that this is the whole and final payment for everything”. He stated.
“So, this is the conclusion of the project, and we have finished delivering it to Nigerians.”