DPR rejects allegation of weak regulation in dirty fuel controversy

The Department Of Petroleum Resources, DPR, has refuted claims which indicted it of failed regulatory oversight in the importation of dirty diesel with more than 100 per cent Sulphur into the country by Swiss trading companies.It will be recalled that Swiss, watchdog group, in its publication titled; ”˜Public Eye’, had attributed weak regulatory standards by Nigeria (DPR) and other African Countries that paved way for the importation of dirty diesel to the region. In a statement made available to Vanguard, the management of DPR, faulted the report, referring to it as erroneous and misleading, adding that its operations are guided by strict adherence to international regulatory standards. This according to the regulator is “in alignment with our mission statement of ensuring sustainable development of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources, protection of our people’s health and safety through effective regulation.”The statement explains that: “There is an established petroleum products traceability protocol for receipt of imported petroleum products cargoes that ensures all products can be traced to a refinery of origin thereby eliminating products from unknown sources. Nigeria’s product specifications are of International standards and sometimes exceed some of these standards. “Also, all petroleum products (Automotive Gas Oil inclusive) are properly analyzed at registered third party laboratories to ensure an accurate and unbiased result before any vessel is cleared to discharge at our depots. “All products receiving depots are statutorily required to have in-house laboratory for conducting tests of key product quality parameters such as flash point, Density, Octane rating, Sulphur content, water content, etc. “Products samples are taken daily from active tanks and analyzed to make sure they meet specification before truck out is allowed. Samples are also taken and analyzed from trucks conveying products from coastal depots to inland depots to ensure that product quality is not compromised during transit before trucks are dispatched to retail outlets “All the above tests at various stages of petroleum products distribution and supply chain are witnessed by assigned DPR staff as part of our regulatory oversight function.”It further added that, “We hereby state that the contents of the report should be disregarded by all stakeholders and the public as there is no off-specification petroleum products in the country.”