- Talks On Fuel Quality Just Drama, Bad Marketing Antics-Kyari
- Insists NNPC Ltd Didn’t Import Products This Year
- Campaign Of Calumny Against NNPC Ltd Must Stop-Nigerians
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has strongly denied recent claims that it imported 200 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, in February 2025.
This is even the Group Chief Executive Officer of the state oil company, Mr. Mele Kyari flayed talks about the existence of sub-standard fuel in the country, describing it as unfortunate drama and bad marketing practice.
Trouble was ignited earlier on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 when reports filtered in that NNPC Limited imported over 200 million litres of PMS in February 2025
Miffed by the report, the state oil company through its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, dismissed the claims as either “lazy and unprofessional journalism” or a “deliberate, sponsored attempt by economic saboteurs to mislead the public.”
Soneye left no room for ambiguity in stating that:
“The report alleging that NNPC Limited imported over 200 million litres of PMS in February 2025 is a completely false, baseless, and reckless misrepresentation of facts. It is either the result of lazy and unprofessional journalism or a deliberate, sponsored attempt by economic saboteurs to mislead the public.”
He emphasized that NNPCL does not regulate or oversee the importation activities of private marketers and urged the media to stop attributing all fuel imports to the company.
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“While NNPC Limited has not imported PMS in 2025, let it be clear that there is no legal restriction preventing us from doing so if necessary,” Soneye added. “As Nigeria’s foremost energy company, we must ensure energy security. Should any supply shortages arise, NNPC Limited retains the full right and responsibility to step in and import to stabilize the market.”
NNPCL further warned that false reports of this nature could have serious economic consequences, distorting market realities and misleading key stakeholders. The company vowed to take legal action against those spreading misinformation about its operations.
“This kind of reckless reporting does a grave disservice to the public,” Soneye stated. “NNPC Limited will not hesitate to take necessary legal steps to hold accountable those responsible for fabricating and circulating such falsehoods”, he vowed.
To further press home its innocence, Kyari, the GCEO while fielding questions at a fireside chat during the 60th Nigeria Mining & Geosciences Society (NMGS) Conference in Abuja on Tuesday said the NNPC Ltd, and indeed the country does not have any issues of quality in the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol across the country.
“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.
He said Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has quality standards which are obtainable in every country and there are no two countries that have the same standards.
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Citing an example, Kyari 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, Kyari said, 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 added that in the case of Nigeria, the country has standard regulatory agencies such as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigerian Midstream & 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 told the audience.
The NNPC helmsman said the Company has already taken the necessary legal and security steps to ensure that people (behind such videos) don’t mess up the country. He said the implications of such acts are not only on NNPC Ltd anymore but more about messing up the whole country.
Kyari, who maintained that people can have their frustrations, cautioned that falsehood should never be extended into business.
The GCEO also debunked reports claiming that NNPC Ltd imported 200 million litres of fuel in February this year.
“These are just lies, because we didn’t even import products within that window that the report was published. All the mischief about aligning this fictitious importation with the so-called low-quality fuel are just baseless,” he stated.
He explained that importation is a normal practice in the industry, as every country imports petroleum products, including the United States. He said Nigeria has supplied petroleum products to countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which doesn’t mean that there are no refineries in those countries.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians have thrown their support behind the state oil company saying the campaign of calumny must stop.
In several comments on the X and Facebook platform of the state oil company, they called for support for NNPC Ltd.
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According to a user, Miriam Shehu via @MiriamShehu on X, she disclosed that she felt sad and angry about the report.
“I was very sad and angry when I saw the defamatory and malicious video circulating online about your product. This campaign of calumny must stop” she wrote.
Another user, VESPER MARTINI on X also excused NNPC Ltd from any wrong-doings saying the responsibility to check the quality of fuel lies with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority NMDPRA.
“People are focusing on NNPC Ltd when it’s the regulator NMDPRA they should be asking the critical questions. NMDPRA determines if truly NNPC Ltd fuel is substandard or not.
As far as NNPC is concerned they’re within limits prescribed by law” the user wrote.
