A civil society group, Concerned Nigerians, has threatened to storm NNPC Towers with protest if the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari, fails to sanction the importers of contaminated fuel into the country.
Fuel has been scarce in some major cities in the country with motorists queuing for hours in filling stations seeking to purchase fuel, arising from the importation of adulterated fuel by some marketers.
Now, the civil society group in a letter dated February 14, 2022, and addressed to the Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari, said it was embarrassing that the NNPC which ordinarily should serve as the regulator of the independent marketers is making unguarded comments instead of penalizing the importers of the adulterated fuel.
The group, in the letter signed by the Convener Comrade Deji Adeyanju, maintained that it is either that the NNPC lacks the political will to punish the offenders or the corporation has been so compromised that it permits all manner of contaminated products into the country, at the detriment of law-abiding Nigerians.
They called for the immediate sanction of the defaulters and demanded that they should also be fined, and the fines be channeled towards cleaning the contaminated fuel.
The letter reads in part: You are aware that in recent weeks, there has been a resurgence of fuel queues across the country, arising from the importation of contaminated fuel by Duke Oil Services Ltd and some Nigerian Marketers.
The foregoing has created severe hardship for the average Nigerian who has lost valuable man-hours. We, however, note with dismay that more than two weeks after the issue came to light, there has been no attempt whatsoever to penalise the importers of the contaminated fuel. What we have, however, witnessed is an embarrassing exchange of words between, NNPC, who ordinarily should serve as the regulator, and the independent marketers.
The only deduction one can make from the foregoing is that either NNPC lacks the political will to punish the offenders, or the Corporation has been so compromised that it permits all manner of contaminated products into the country, at the detriment of law-abiding Nigerians.
The group, therefore, vowed to mobilise Nigerians across the states to take to the streets if the NNPC fail to follow or heed to their demands listed letter.
It also urged the corporation to prioritise the interest of the nation come and hard on all economic saboteurs.
