By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited said it has launched an investigation into allegations of coercion to purchase other products against customers’ will at one of its retail stations.
The company gave the update following a recent video clip making rounds on X, formerly known as Twitter, where it was shown that customers were being forced to purchase lubricants (engine oil) before they could purchase Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
The attendant in the video had alleged that the development was a directive from the NNPC Retail Management.
However, a statement by the state oil firm’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr Olufemi Soneye, said it has launched an investigation into the unfortunate incident, and assured that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against the culprit (s).
It said, “NNPC Retail wishes to state unequivocally that the allegation is entirely false and does not represent the Company’s Customer Service Charter. At all NNPC Retail filling stations, customers are not obligated to purchase lubricants or engine oil or other products as a precursor to buying PMS (petrol).”
Speaking further on the incident, Managing Director of NNPC Retail Limited, Mr Huub Stokman said: “We are dedicated to providing clear, transparent and quality service to all our customers, guaranteeing that their needs are met without any recourse to unnecessary and unscrupulous conditionalities.”
He advised the public to disregard the information in its entirety and report any such occurrences to the appropriate authority.
Business Post understands that the practice of purchasing lubricants for petrol used to be mainstream in recent years, however, since competition in the retail space has grown over the years and warnings from authorities have reached these stations, the occurrence has subsided.
