The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has apologised to members of the public over the sale of adulterated fuel by its members across the country.
IPMAN Chairman Kano chapter, Alhaji Bashir Danmallam, made the apology in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The Federal Government through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority on Tuesday said petrol, with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification, was discovered in the supply chain.
The government said the supplier had been identified and appropriate sanction would apply.
Alhaji Bashir Danmallam said the union found it necessary to apologise to members of the public after it was discovered that the fuel its members purchased from Lagos, Warri and other places was adulterated
Our members bought the product from Lagos, Warri and other placed without knowing it was adulterated.
“So, we felt it necessary to apologise to members of the public on the issue in order not blame our members as It is not their fault,” the IPMAN chairman said.
He, however, blamed government officials who work in the laboratories for not alerting their members on the adulterated product.
According to him, the officials working in the laboratories have the mandate to detect adulterated product as well as to alert its members so as not to purchase the commodity and sell to public.
“Our members who purchased the product didn’t know it was an adulterated product until after they brought it to their respective filling stations across the country,” Danmalam said.
He disclosed that the union had contacted the Managing Director of the Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr Isiyaku Abdullahi who had since directed all marketers that bought the adulterated product to return it to where they brought it.
Danmalam assured that IPMAN would collaborate with the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to prevent recurrence.
“We will collaborate with the NNPC management to ensure that our members do not again purchase and sell adulterated fuel to members of the public in the country,” he said.
