The Action Congress of Nigeria has commended the Standard Organisation of Nigeria for being alive to its responsibility, after the agency raised the alarm that most of the diesel in circulation in the country are adulterated.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party urged SON to follow up on its discovery by taking remedial action to save the public from the effects of adulterated diesel.
It also said those responsible for importing adulterated diesel to the country must be fished out and brought to justice to serve as a deterrent.
ACN said it should not be difficult to identify those responsible for the heinous act, since there is a cabal that has cornered diesel importation into the country.
The party said: “According to SON, most of the diesel in circulation in the Nigerian petroleum product market is mixed, to varied proportion with kerosene, and the diesel being sold by the all the 21 front line filling stations sampled by the organization was highly adulterated, mostly with kerosene at alarming rates of contamination ranging from 15 per cent to 65 per cent.
“This revelation is disturbing, to say the least, considering the effect such adulteration will have on diesel-powered generators and vehicles, and the resultant implication for the economy, especially because most businesses depend on generators to power their operations.
“This is why all concerned, most especially SON, must act fast to check the activities of the unscrupulous people behind the importation of such adulterated diesel. In particular, we call on the National Assembly to show interest in the matter.”