The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt the dumping of tainted petroleum products, otherwise known as fake fuel, into the country as a matter of urgent national importance.
Tinubu is the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, double the minister of petroleum resources of Nigeria, the most populous African country, and a major player in oil production globally.
Despite being a major oil producer, Nigeria still battles with the importation of refined products, which over 150 million end users largely depend on. The nation’s refineries—Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt—have remained comatose despite the many interventions of the present administration in billions of dollars.
Aside from frustrating the only viable local refinery, Dangote, the oil cabals have also been accused of encouraging the importation of off-spec and adulterated products into the country, allegations the National Assembly Joint Committee is currently investigating.
In a press statement signed on Wednesday by the Global President of ANPE, Mr Solomon Ola, the Nigerian Professionals in Europe are calling on President Tinubu to urgently investigate the recent trend of infiltrating Nigeria’s market with products capable of putting the lives of the people in great jeopardy.
The group warned that “Importation of the sanctioned-tainted petrol into Nigeria would no doubt have diplomatic consequences, bearing in mind the sanctions that the Price Cap Coalition, comprising the European Union, the United States, the G7, and Australia, imposed on Russian-sourced crude and petroleum products”.
The statement read, “The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE) has followed developments in Nigeria’s petroleum industry with concern, given the absurd positions being canvassed by some stakeholders regarding the safety of the country and citizens regarding the quality of products being retailed.
“ANPE has consequently decided to urge President Bola Tinubu, as a matter of national interest, to use his mandate as the country’s chief executive to halt the designation of Nigeria as a dumping ground for foreign-sourced tainted, impure, and questionable petroleum products.
“We are sad and alarmed by recent developments in Europe, from Russia to Malta and every part of Europe, our home country has become a lucrative destination for the dumping of contaminated petroleum products such as PMS, popularly known as petrol, which industry experts have tagged as fake fuel.
“Our association is concerned that the petroleum products in question are still being dumped in Nigeria even after industry experts have warned about their substandard nature, which poses material and economic risks to Nigerians whose vehicles and equipment could be damaged by dirty fuel.
“Fake fuel also has negative implications for the environment in addition to the associated dangers that the fumes from these products pose to public health, a situation that the Nigerian government would find exceptionally challenging since such a health burden would further stretch already lean public finances.
“Importation of the sanctioned-tainted petrol into Nigeria would no doubt have diplomatic consequences, bearing in mind the sanctions that the Price Cap Coalition, comprising the European Union, the United States, the G7, and Australia, imposed on Russian-sourced crude and petroleum products. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Price Cap Coalition forbids transactions on crude oil and petroleum products of Russian Federation origin unless they are transacted at or below $60, a price band that the products imported into Nigeria routinely violate even when they are of Russian origin.
“A third concern for our association is the absurdity of importing relatively pricier petrol into Nigeria when more affordable and quality options are available from local refineries. This insistence on flooding Nigeria with rotten petrol is equally bad for the economy. It is actively sabotaging President Tinubu’s economic policy.
“Things have gone so awry that Nigeria has become the toast of European companies peddling these products, which cannot be sold in other African countries such as Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo, South Africa, Angola, Kenya and others. The collaborators of these European firms back in Nigeria collude to force these products on citizens of our dear nation for the sole purpose of profit-making.
“ANPE is consequently alerting Mr President and calling for caution while demanding that he directs the relevant authorities to urgently investigate and stop this illegal trade that jeopardises the nation and citizens”.
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