Petrol: Drivers Shun Oando, MRS Shut In Enugu Over Methanol Row

Drivers, Thursday, shunned many Oando and MRS filling stations in Enugu metropolis following their links with the importation of methanol-laden petrol into the country.

While Oando is selling petrol with low patronage, MRS shut its services on the Abakaliki road axis in Enugu.

The drivers expressed fear that the products might still be in the stock of the affected filling stations.

Moses Amoke, a bus driver, said, “I left very early to the NNPC mega filling station on Port-Harcourt expressway to buy fuel.

“I don’t trust other filling stations. What they did is very bad. Most filling stations buy petrol from those indicted to have imported the products.”

Another driver, Emeka Ugada, said, “I wouldn’t know why my car has been jerking for some days now. I’ll drain my tank, and then buy fresh petrol. If it stops, I would then know that I had bought bad petrol.”

Ibekwe Ndu however said he does not care. In his words, “They say the bad fuel only affects sensitive vehicles. My car is old, and not sensitive.”

A private car owner, Mathias Ugwueya, blamed the regulatory agencies for the lacuna.

In his words, “I hear that NNPC is the regulatory body. The blame should squarely go to them. How on earth would they allow anything to be imported into the country without quality control?

“It simply a display of the generality of Nigerians. Drugs, electronics, and indeed products that are imported pass through similar fate in this country.”

Many filling stations were not selling when our correspondent went round the metropolis.

A manager in one of them said, “We don’t have the products. I’m also aware that efforts are being made to track the methanol-laden petrol already in circulation.

“Good ones have been brought in, so I guess the fear should be allayed.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had named the four companies involved in the importation of methanol laden petrol into Nigeria.

According NNPC’s group general manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Garba Deen Mohammed, MRS shipped into Nigeria the fuel with the vessel MT Bow Pioneer; Emadeb/Hyde/AY Maikifi/Brittania-U Consortium brought its consignment with MT Tom Hilde; Oando also loaded the bad fuel on MT Elka Apollon, while Duke Oil lifted it with the tanker, MT Nord Gainer. The four shipped in the fuel from LITASCO Terminal in Antwerp, Belgium.

It was gathered that measures are being put in place to arrest the situation. Sources from NNPC stated that the company had promptly ordered the quarantine of all unevacuated volumes and the holding back of all the affected products in transit (both truck & marine).