Adulterated petrol: Will owners of damaged vehicles be compensated?

Addressing journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, the minister stated that Nigerians whose vehicles were damaged by the contaminated petrol, may get compensation.

Sylva reportedly made this statement, as the adulterated petrol consumers were arresting owners of the filing stations that dispensed the commodity to them.

Confirming the arrests, and looming litigation, the President, Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry stated: “There are customers who have problems with the products they bought and are suing our retail outlet owners. They are already arresting retail outlet owners and not the NNPC, but obviously, it will still get to them (NNPC) if we cannot resolve it.

“Right now a lot of arrests have been made. That is why we are concerned and always request that we should be taken along so as to get early information.

“Retail outlet owners are being arrested now and this is because when the vehicles of customers get bad they will try to hold somebody accountable. And that is happening across the country.”

When this writer approached a filling station manager in the Ogba area of Lagos, who spoke on the matter on a condition of anonymity, said he was told the issue of compensation wasn’t up for debate.

“How do you mean by we would pay compensation for those we sold adulterated petrol to?” he queried, as he said “it is almost impossible to have it in view considering the lack of data and proofs.”

Corroborating the filling station’s manager’s stance, an oil market that pleaded to be anonymously quoted, revealed that there is no such thing like compensation for consumers.

“The truth is that how many people get receipts after making their petrol purchases. I’ve seen people rejoicing over the said compensation, and it’s a sad reality,” he added.