NNPC vs Dangote: Mele Kyari says security action taken against petrol reviewer

Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says legal and security measures have been taken against people spreading misinformation against the company.

 

Recently, a video posted by @valorreviews on TikTok showed a man using two small tiger generators, popularly called ‘I better pass my neighbour generator’ in Nigeria,’ to compare the running time of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, bought from MRS Oil and NNPC.

 

 

The video claimed that Dangote-refined petrol sold by MRS Oil lasts longer than the PMS available at NNPC stations and, in addition, is more affordable.

 

Speaking at the 60th Nigeria Mining & Geosciences Society (NMGS) Conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Kyari described the claim as “an unfortunate drama and bad marketing practice”.

 

The GCEO said petrol meets all required quality standards, as ensured by regulatory bodies.

 

 

He assured that no official report has confirmed the presence of substandard petrol.

 

“The talk around fuel quality is unfortunate and a very bad marketing practice. It’s all drama and entertainment and as we know, drama has a way of entertaining the people,” Kyari said.

 

He said petrol has quality standards which are obtainable in every country and there are no two countries that have the same standards.

 

Kyari, citing an example, said in Europe, oxygenate (a fuel additive) has to be introduced into PMS otherwise it will solidify the tank in people’s cars.

 

 

“But if the same fuel additive is introduced into cars in Nigeria, it turns to water once it gets into contact with air. In essence, what is required by law to be introduced in one country, it is also required by law not to be introduced in another country,” he said.

 

He further said in the case of Nigeria, the country has standard regulatory agencies such as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA), whose job is to ensure that every product that comes into this country meets the required products specifications and standards.

 

“I believe these regulatory agencies are doing their job. They have not come back to tell anyone that we have substandard products in the country,” Kyari added.

 

Kyari further said the company has already taken the necessary legal and security steps to ensure that people behind such videos do not mess up the country.

 

He said the implications of such acts are not only on NNPC anymore but more about messing up the whole country.

 

Kyari maintained that people can have their frustrations but cautioned that falsehood should never be extended into business.

 

‘IMPORTATION OF PETROL IS NORMAL PRACTICE’

 

The GCEO also denied reports claiming that NNPC Ltd had imported 200 million litres of fuel in February this year.

 

“These are just lies because we didn’t even import products within that window when the report was published,” he said.

 

“All the mischief about aligning this fictitious importation with the so-called low-quality fuel are just baseless.”

 

He explained that importation is a normal practice in the industry, as every country imports petroleum products, including the United States.

 

 

Kyari said Nigeria has supplied petroleum products to countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which does not mean that there are no refineries in those countries.