Fuel scarcity has been affecting major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, and others since Monday, owing to contaminated petrol products in circulation.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) confirmed on Tuesday that contaminated fuel with methanol levels exceeding the country’s criteria had been identified in the supply chain.

According to the authorities, a limited quantity of the contaminated product has been separated and withdrawn from the market to protect the safety of vehicles and equipment, including loaded trucks in route.

Addressing State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the government will get to the bottom of the incident.

The minister added that President Buhari gave the order to investigate the matter and directed the immediate handling of the issue after briefing him on Tuesday.

He, however, asked for time and cautioned against concluding before the investigation is completed and the culprits behind the incidents are brought to book.

Sylva stated that matters over damaged vehicles as a result of the use of the contaminated fuel would also be taken into consideration in dealing with the situation.

He said: “Nobody has, before now, checked for methanol in our fuel, it’s not very usual and this is the first time this is happening.”