Osamagbe Imadiyi
Nigerians have demanded that the Federal Government carry out new testing to verify the quality of gasoline offered at filling stations throughout the nation. This followed claims made in a widely shared video that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s gasoline does not hold up well in fuel tanks. According to the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, the NNPC’s fuel meets quality standards. The NNPC refuted allegations on Saturday that it offers poor-quality gasoline with a high burn rate. The NNPC responded to a viral video that claimed its gasoline did not last long when used, according to a statement released by its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.
A content creator allegedly claimed in a video that went viral that he paid N925 for a litre of Dangote petrol at the MRS filling station in Alapere, Lagos, and N945 for the same litre at the NNPC in Ojodu Berger. When he poured the fuel into different power generators, he claims that the one powered by NNPC fuel stopped after 17 minutes, but the one powered by Dangote gasoline continued to run for 30 minutes.
Some refinery officials, however, disputed the NNPC’s assertion that the gasoline bought from its filling station in Ojodu Berger came from the Dangote refinery, questioning why the refinery was brought into the dispute.
“NNPC Ltd vehemently denies the untrue and deceptive claims that NNPC fuel is short-lived, as stated in a widely shared viral video. This claim is completely unfounded and unverified, stemming from amateur research that is unreliable, inaccurate, and devoid of professional oversight,” the NNPC said.
On social media, Nigerians responded by saying that the video’s claim should be looked into and asking why the NNPC continues to use fuel from the Dangote refinery when the Port Harcourt refinery is producing.
In response to the content creator’s experiment, @Walemicaiah stated: “It is actually one of the easiest experiments anyone can try.” The fact that you do not even require two generators speaks louder than anything else. The FCCPC can oversee this, and it is in the public interest. Nothing negative, once again, as long as the quality expectations are met.”
@momolesho, An X user expressed doubt about the test’s accuracy, saying, “You cannot say that all conditions are the same, so that does not mean that research is accurate.” They used two generators. The same generator must be used, and it must be serviced after each use to ensure that it is operating at its best. Upgrade to a Honda generator.”
PETROAN, on the other hand, denied that the NNPC sells inferior fuel. PETROAN claimed to have carried out extensive testing on NNPC petroleum products in the wake of the widely shared video and verified that they adhere to the strictest industry standards.
