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Adulterated Fuel: Demand For Compensation Heightens, As Nigerians Count Losses
Following the importation of adulterated fuel into the country, which has caused major scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, in many cities, some stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to bear the responsibility by compensating those whose vehicles, generators and other valuables were damaged.
DAILY POST recalls that over 100 million liters of fuel recently imported into the country, were said to be adulterated, containing high methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification.
The development resulted in long queues at fuel stations in major cities across the country. President Muhammadu Buhari had called for thorough investigation into the matter to uncover personalities involved in the importation.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, and other related agencies had blamed the unfortunate development on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Meanwhile, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari shifted the blame on four oil companies: MRS, Emadeb, Brittania-U, Oando and Duke Oil.
However, with the exception of Duke Oil, the other three accused companies have all in writing, denied the allegation, thus creating more confusion in the drive to unmask shippers of the bad fuel.
DAILY POST’s finding revealed that some vehicles, particularly in the nation’s capital are already parking up following the effects of the substandard imported fuel.
A taxi driver, Mr Andrew Nwoye, who spoke to our correspondent, said the fuel pump of his car got damaged two days ago after the vehicle consumed much of the toxic fuel.
“I just woke up on Thursday and discovered that my car could not start. I did everything I could in my own little knowledge but it was still not responding until I called an expert who informed me that my fuel pump has issues.
“This government has killed us. I’m sure that if not for their bad fuel, my vehicle would have been intact. Apart from the fuel pump, I have spent a lot of money on fixing the car, including my generator”.
A tricycle (Keke napep) driver, Mr Ayuba also said himself and others have been servicing their vehicles more frequently than before since the fuel issues began.
“I just noticed recently that my ‘Keke’ does not sound very well like before; I was advised to service it two days ago and the same thing has started again,” he lamented.
Another commercial driver, Amos Akogwu told our correspondent that he has abandoned his vehicle which he referred to as his only source of income in a mechanic village due to several faults emanating from the adulterated fuel.
Some stakeholders who spoke with DAILY POST on Sunday, said that the Federal Government must compensate Nigerians for the damage caused by the bad fuel.
The National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said there is need for the oil importers to enter into “constructive dialogues with government and the victims of their bad fuel on issues of compensations to stave off huge legal damages that may come up if the victims are forced to go to court”.
He called on the Federal Government, to as a matter of importance, work out and enforce systematic compensations of damages currently resulting from the use of the toxic fuel by Nigerians, adding that “the defaulting companies should be dragged to court by the government if they fail to compensate their victims”.
Similarly, the President General of the Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, COSMBYLA, Goodluck Egwu Ibem told DAILY POST that the Federal Government must be held responsible for the damages caused by the adulterated fuel.
Ibem, who said the government should either pay for the fixing of the damaged vehicles or replace them with new ones, said those involved in the importation of the substandard fuel must be arrested and prosecuted.
He said, “The Federal Government must take full responsibility for the damages being caused by the bad fuel. They can’t blame anybody because it is their duty to import the product.
“The Federal Government, through the NNPC, must pay damages for the havoc their actions caused Nigerians; the government officials must be forced to pay the amount Nigerians used to fix their vehicles, or better still, the FG should replace those vehicles to alleviate the suffering imposed on the owners.
“We also want those involved in these criminal activities to be arrested and prosecuted, while those that need to be sacked or suspended should be given appropriate punishment for their actions”.
Efforts by DAILY POST to speak to Kyari, NNPC boss for comment on the development, proved abortive yesterday, even as Mike Mukwuzi, of the NNPC media unit, could not take his calls.
The Lagos State Government has officially announced the reintroduction of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, set to resume on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
This marks the return of the state-wide cleaning culture nearly ten years after its suspension in 2016.
Residents are expected to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in front of their homes, and dispose of waste responsibly as part of efforts to improve environmental hygiene and tackle waste management challenges.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Saturday, disclosed the development in a statement, explaining that the exercise would officially restart later in the year.
“I am pleased to inform all Lagosians that the monthly environmental sanitation exercise will resume effective Saturday, 25th April 2026, holding on the last Saturday of every month from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
“During this period, residents are enjoined to clean their surroundings, clear drainage channels in their frontages, and dispose of waste properly as a civic responsibility.”
Wahab urged residents to view the initiative as a shared duty toward building a healthier city, stressing that the government would ensure strict compliance.
“This exercise is a collective responsibility and a vital part of our commitment to a cleaner, healthier, and flood-resilient Lagos. And it shall be backed with the full enforcement weight of the Lagos State Government,” he said.
Explaining the significance of reintroducing the sanitation culture, the commissioner said the state was returning to a practice that once formed part of Lagosians’ lifestyle.
“Let me formally say this and say it boldly. Mr Governor and his deputy are taking a very audacious step. For those who don’t know, prior to 2016, we had a culture that emphasised cleanliness as next to godliness.
“Once every month, we took our time to clean up our surroundings and then maintain them sparkling. However, for some years, we stopped it.”
He said the absence of the exercise had contributed to mounting environmental pressures in the state.
“Now, waste, debt, and environmental challenges have become an existential challenge to us as a state. It’s taken us over a year to debate, talk, and agree that it’s time to reintroduce a monthly environmental sanitation,” Wahab said.
Appealing to residents for cooperation, he urged Lagosians to dedicate a small portion of their time each month to environmental cleanliness.
“It’s a plea that it is time for us to give up just one or two hours a month. In our marketplaces, every Thursday, we observe environmental cleanliness. But this time, we are saying as a state, let us sit back once a month and observe the cleanliness of our environment as we used to before 2016.”
JomogNews reports that the monthly sanitation exercise, previously held on the last Saturday of every month between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., was suspended in November 2016 following a legal pronouncement restricting movement during the exercise.
The suspension later coincided with growing waste management concerns, including clogged drainage channels and indiscriminate refuse disposal across parts of the state.
President Bola Tinubu has urged the media to extend their scrutiny to State and Local Governments, noting that his administration’s reforms have significantly increased their financial allocations.
During an interfaith breaking of fast with media executives on Friday, the President emphasized that sub-national governments now enjoy greater financial autonomy and should be held accountable for grassroots development.
Tinubu said his administration’s economic reforms, especially the removal of the petrol subsidy, have increased funds available to states.
“We have opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money. But how they use it is in your hands, so don’t bombard me alone. Look at local governments too, and equally, the sub-national,” Tinubu said.
“Today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay the salaries of employees. Yes, we can complain that it is not enough. We can complain we are not where we should be, but we have to manage what we have to sustain today, survive tomorrow, and make progress”.
Tinubu commended the media for criticising his government, saying it challenged and provoked him to serve Nigerians better.
“Thank you for inspiring me and challenging me in critical moments of my life. If I look at various barrages of negative comments as opposed to positive aspects of the assignment, I shouldn’t be standing here. That is the truth,” the president said.
“You didn’t spare me, but you challenged me, provoked that intellectual curiosity of a leader that must perform. There is no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you, it might not be in full detail, but the headlines, the ones that hit me.
“Leadership is about taking responsibility to make decisions at the right time. Otherwise, it’s a failure. At the time, we had to confront the subsidy. Nigeria was on the verge of bankruptcy.
“But having asked for the job and getting it, I cannot look back other than make corrections as I move along, save the nation, bring it back from the brink. Today, I can stand proudly before you that we are back from that brink.”
Tinubu added that he will continue to do his job with “patriotic dedication” to improve Nigeria.
A prosecution witness, Captain Ezekiel Bala-Agaba, testified in a Lagos Federal High Court on Thursday, that he personally delivered $15 million in cash to former NIMASA DG, Patrick Akpobolokemi.
The witness, Bala-Agaba, a former Executive Director of Maritime Safety, Shipping Development and Marine Operations at NIMASA, made the disclosure while testifying before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Captain Agaba, who appeared as the 15th prosecution witness, told the court that funds meant for pipeline surveillance were withdrawn from NIMASA’s accounts, converted into dollars, and handed over to Dr Akpobolokemi.
According to him, the money was taken to a Bureau de Change, which converted it into $15 million before the cash was delivered to the NIMASA office on Burma Road, Apapa, Lagos.
He said he subsequently took the money to the office of the then Director-General.
“The money was sent to a Bureau de Change, which later brought the dollar equivalent to our office at Burma Road, Apapa, Lagos. I asked my Personal Assistant, Ekene Nwakuche, to carry the bag and follow me to the Director-General’s office,” he told the court.
The witness explained that he collected the bag from his aide before entering the office.
“When we got to the door of the Director-General’s office, I collected the bag from him and asked him to wait outside. I then personally delivered the sum of $15 million to the Director-General.”
The witness was initially a defendant in the case but later opted to testify for the prosecution.
While being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Suleiman Suleiman, he explained the chain of command within NIMASA and how financial approvals were processed in the agency.
According to him, the Director-General is the overall head of the agency and issues instructions to directors, who then implement policies in line with the NIMASA Act.
He told the court that he chaired the agency’s Intelligence Committee, which was responsible for certain security-related operations.
“As chairman of the committee, I oversaw its activities and reported directly to the Director-General, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi,” he said.
During the proceedings, the witness was also shown a document containing a letter from Access Bank to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detailing transactions in NIMASA’s accounts between 2013 and 2015.
When asked how much money he took to the former Director-General, Agaba replied: “$15 million.”
After listening to the testimony, Justice Faji adjourned the matter until April 22 and 23 for cross-examination of the witness.
The EFCC had in December 2015 arraigned Dr. Akpobolokemi and seven others before the court on a 30-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraudulent conversion of funds and money laundering.
Those charged alongside the former NIMASA boss include, Warredi Enisuoh, Governor Juan, Ugo Frederick, Timi Alari, as well as Alkenzo Limited and Penniel Engineering Services Limited.
They pleaded not guilty to the offences.
The anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants conspired to divert funds running into over N1.15 billion under the guise of providing security intelligence in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
According to the EFCC, the NIMASA Intelligence Committee allegedly received N1,153,000,000 between December 2013 and July 2015.
Investigations further revealed that several companies contracted to execute the intelligence operations were either unregistered or lacked the capacity to perform the services, while some were allegedly linked to the defendants.
The prosecution also alleged that the defendants nominated or owned many of the companies used to execute the contracts.
One of the charges stated that the defendants conspired to commit offences punishable under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2012.
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