Story by Adewale Sanyaolu

The defense by swiss trading firms-Trafigura and Vitol that they did no wrong by importing toxic fuel into Nigeria and other African countries has pitched stakeholders against the two companies.
A recent report released by Swiss watchdog group, Public Eye with the title, “Dirty Diesel’’ had alleged that the Swiss trading firms are blending and dumping dirty fuel in Nigeria and other West African countries with more than 100 per cent toxic (sulphur) levels allowed in Europe, thereby causing health and environmental hazards.
The report alleged further that the companies are taking advantage of weak African regulatory standards to use cheap and dirty additives to create what’s called “African Quality” fuels.
Senegal and Ghana are the other countries mentioned in the report. Vitol, Trafigura, Addax and Oryx and Lynx Energy have been named because they are shareholders of the fuel retailers. Though, the firms insist the practice is not illegal, the report quotes them as noting that the blends met standards in the importing countries, with the largest amounts going to Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana. They pointed out they have no vested interest in keeping sulphur levels higher than they need to be.
But, Public Eye accused the companies of lowering a fuel’s quality to just above a country’s legal limits to maximise profits by adding toxic products known to cause respiratory diseases.
Although this is within the limits set by national governments, the sulphur contained in the fumes from the diesel fuel could increase respiratory illnesses like asthma and bronchitis in affected countries, health experts said.
The picture is changing but there are still several African countries that allow diesel to have a sulphur content of more than 2,000 parts per million (ppm), with some allowing more than 5,000ppm, whereas the European standard is less than 10ppm.

Swiss firms put up defense
But the Swiss commodity traders accused of deliberately blending toxic fuel and dumping it in Nigeria and other West African countries  say African governments are to blame for low standards and failure to invest in refineries and newer vehicles to lower exhaust emissions that cause respiratory and other diseases.
“What is very clear is that the role of improving fuel quality in Africa clearly rests with African governments, not with the fuel suppliers,” the Geneva-based African Refiners Association representing many traders said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press (AP).
Public Eye said traders including Vitol and Trafigura provide Europe with fuel meeting European Union standards of 10 parts per million of sulfur while creating what’s called “African Quality” fuel that has 2,000 ppm or more of sulfur. Nigeria, for example, allows up to 3,000 ppm of sulphur in petrol according to Public Eye.

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Approved Sulphur level in Nigera
But, contrary to the claims by Public Eye that Nigeria allows up to 3,000 ppm of sulphur in petrol, Daily Sun investigations proved opposit.
According to a 39-page document exclusively obtained by Daily Sun, on Standard for Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol); Nigeria Industrial Standard NIS 116:2008 approved by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Governing Council in 2008, pegged the  maximum sulfur content at 0.10 ppm, the same standard allowed in Europe.
According to SON, the purpose of the review of the standard is to provide specifications and test methods for the manufacturers, importers and users of unleaded petrol marketed in Nigeria.

Weak regulatory standards
The inability of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to enforce standards may have created the loophole that the Swiss traders exploited.
Stakeholders, have, however, canvassed for the return of SON to seaports in order to carry out the necessary tests on petroleum products and ensure that standards are met since DPR has failed the country in delivering on its mandate
Rob de Jong from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) told the BBC that there was a lack of awareness among some policy makers about the significance of the sulphur content in fuels.
Jong said the picture is changing but there are still several African countries which allow petrol to have a sulphur content of more than 2,000 parts per million (ppm), with some allowing more than 5,000ppm, whereas the European standard is less than 10ppm.
He argued that for a long time countries relied on colonial-era standards, which have only been revised in recent years.
‘‘Another issue is that in the countries where there are refineries, these are unable, for technical reasons, to reduce the sulphur levels to the standard acceptable in Europe. This means that the regulatory standard is kept at the level that the refineries can operate at.
Some governments are also worried that cleaner diesel would be more expensive, therefore pushing up the price of transport,’’he said.
But Jong argued that the difference was minimal and oil price fluctuations were much more significant in determining the diesel price.

Regulator/Stakeholder reacts
Deputy Director, Public Affairs, at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Dorothy Bassey, told Daily Sun, in a telephone interview that there is no cause for alarm as all petroleum products are tested before entering the shores of the country. According to her, any product or products that fail the specification test are sent back to the country of origin.
‘’But if by error of omission or commission any product/s that fall short of the required specification find their way into the country, the importer of such products will be severely sanctioned,’’ she said. But Nigerians are yet to see such sanctions on the Swiss importers.
On his part, the NNPC spokesman, Mr. Mohammed Garbadeen, said that, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will not deliberately import toxic fuel into the country. But, the Director Centre for Petroleum Economics and Energy Law, Prof, Adeola Adenikinju, is not happy about the development.
He said once the claims of incursion of substandard petrol into the country has been established by DPR and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), the companies involved should be sanctioned and blacklisted.
‘‘This is a very serious issue because it is the responsibility of DPR and PPPRA to ensure that the right quality and specification of petroleum products were brought into the country by importers. Our national standard for petrol must reflect in the type of vehicles in the country if the regulatory agencies do their work well. And if such standards are not met, such cargoes must not be allowed to discharge their contents, but, rather returned to the country of origin,’’ he said.