By Yemie Adeoye
FOLLOWING recent cases of kerosene explosion in some parts of the country, the federal Government through the Department of Petroleum Resources has announced the sale of contaminated kerosene around the country.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the Deputy Director of Public Affairs of the Department, Belema Osibodu.

The statement reads in part “The Department of Petroleum Resources wishes to alert consumers about the activities of unscrupulous persons who have been engaging in the deliberate contamination of petroleum products, purportedly sold as kerosene.

We view with great concern this unwholesome practice, and hereby advise consumers of household kerosene nationwide to source and purchase their products from reputable retail outlets nationwide”. However Vanguard checks has revealed that the pump price of HHK varies from one retail outlet to the other, and ranges from between N100 and N125 save for NNPC retail outlets where the products still sell at about N50.00.

Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, the Group General Manager of the Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, also stated recently that some unscrupulous kerosene dealers in the country have cultivated the habit of adulterating house hold kerosene in their bid to cream off excess profit from the sale of the product.

“I wish to urge kerosene consumers in the country to buy the product from NNPC Mega Stations, NNPC Retail outlets and other accredited filling stations as the attention of the NNPC has been drawn to the activities of some unscrupulous dealers who adulterate the product.

This is totally unacceptable and the NNPC would do everything within its powers to stem this ugly situation,” Dr. Ajuonuma averred.

He said the NNPC as a socially responsible corporation wishes to advise consumers of kerosene in the country not to patronize illicit dealers in order not to fall victim of kerosene explosion.

It would be recalled that in its efforts to further ease the complaints of shortage in the supply of kerosene, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) through its subsidiary, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) pumped 37 million litres of the product into the market recently. This is far above the national demand of 10 million litres per day.

This means that the market is well supplied with kerosene and there is no need for members of the public to resort to panic buying.