The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, has described the video in circulation portraying it as selling low quality fuel as a bad marketing strategy.
It stated that it has taken legal and security measures to counter allegations that it is selling substandard fuel, warning that such claims could harm the entire country.
Speaking at the 60th Nigeria Mining & Geosciences Society, NMGS, Conference in Abuja, NNPC Ltd’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari, dismissed the allegations as baseless, describing them as “unfortunate drama” and “bad marketing practices.”
Kyari emphasized that Nigeria maintains strict fuel quality standards regulated by agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and the Nigerian Midstream & Downstream Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA.
He affirmed that no regulatory body has reported issues regarding the quality of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, in the country.
He noted that the implication of false claims about fuel quality in the country is not only on NNPC Ltd anymore but more about messing up the whole country.
The NNPC Ltd boss said people can have their frustrations, but cautioned that falsehood should never be extended into business.
In a statement on Tuesday, the company’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, quoted the NNPC Ltd helmsman as saying that the company and indeed Nigeria does not have any issues of quality of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS.
“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 stated.
Addressing concerns about fuel composition, Kyari explained that fuel standards vary globally.
He cited Europe’s requirement for oxygenate additives, which prevent fuel from solidifying in cold temperatures, however, in Nigeria’s climate, the same additive would react with air and turn to water, making it unsuitable.
Additionally, Kyari refuted claims that NNPC Ltd imported 200 million liters of fuel in February, calling such reports “pure falsehood.”
He clarified that the company did not import any fuel during the alleged period and stressed that importation is a routine industry practice worldwide, including in major oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Kyari also urged members of the NMGS to embrace technological innovations to maximize Nigeria’s mineral and energy resources, emphasizing the role of geoscience in national development.
The conference, themed “Transformation of the Mineral, Energy, Water, and Construction Sectors through Innovation,” focused on industry reforms, policy improvements, and public engagement in geosciences.
