MRS Oil Nigeria Plc has debunked rumours and speculations on social media that it is solely responsible for the importation and distribution of substandard and contaminated Premium Motor Spirits (PMS) in the country.

In a press statement signed by the company’s Managing Director, Marco Storari, the company reassured the public and all relevant authorities, that “MRS is a responsible corporate citizen and will not be involved in the purchase, importation, distribution or marketing of substandard petroleum products in Nigeria”.

“It is therefore necessary that any Media, reporting this false information which has resulted in the defamation of the Company’s brand and image, must immediately refrain from doing so and endeavor to check the facts before printing unauthenticated information and statements, which would affect the goodwill of the Company and the investing public”, the statement reads.

While giving reasons for the scarcity of PMS in the country, the company disclosed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the sole supplier of all PMS in Nigeria and NNPC, through their trading arm, Duke Oil, supplied a cargo of PMS purchased from international trader Litasco and delivered it with Motor Tanker (MT) Nord Gainer.

“This vessel discharged in Apapa between the 24th and 30th of January, 2022 and the following Major Marketers with receiving quantities were the recipients of the product: OVH 10,000 mt; MRS 5,000 mt; NIPCO 5,958 mt; ARDOVA 6,000 mt; TOTAL 10,000 mt.

“As one of the beneficiaries, MRS received the product in its depot and distributed the product to only 8 of its stations in Lagos. Following delivery into tank, it was observed that the product appeared hazy and dark; Management immediately directed that further sale(s) should be stopped and the product isolated. Urgent steps were taken to analyze the product to determine the basis for its contamination.

“The product analysis revealed that the PMS discharged by MT Nord Ganier had 20% methanol, which is an illegal substance in Nigeria. As a Company, we are aware that alcohol/ethanol is not permitted to be mixed in PMS specification. We immediately informed NNPC, NMDPRA and MOMAN and it was confirmed that other Members had similar experiences”, the statement reads.