Off-Spec Fuel Sale: Government Should Be Solving The Problem; Not Equalising – ACEP

The political equalisation which has dominated discussions surrounding the sale of millions of litres contaminated fuels must end, ACEP has said.

The Executive Director of the Africa Center for Energy Policy, Mr. Ben Boakye says the solution to the problem of improper dealings in contaminated petroleum products with the real danger of causing mechanical problems for vehicles is not political equalisation.

The sale of five million litres of contaminated fuel by the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) to some unlicensed companies has caused outrage in the country.

The Minority in Parliament has insisted the deal was designed to further the commercial interests of the managers of BOST and come political cronies.

The Majority rebutted the claims, pointing out that last year alone, 12 million litres of similar products, designated as slop was sold by the previous management of BOST.

They maintained the companies that bought the products were not licensed, too, just as Movenpiina and Zup Oil which benefited from the recent sale.

The Bureau of National Investigations, according to Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, has cleared the BOST boss, Alfred Obeng Boateng, of any wrongdoing.

At a press conference Tuesday, Mr. Boakye repeated claims that the sale of contaminated fuel was not new and in fact took place many times under the previous management led by Kwame Awuah Darko.

But commenting on this on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, ACEP’s Executive Director, Mr. Ben Boakye said “Let’s not be doing politics with this and saying that ‘it happened in the past, it has happened today so let’s equalise it.’ I think we don’t solve a problem like that.”

He said politicisation of issues creates unnecessary diversions that sap energies and serve as precedence for justifying other wrongs against the state and the perpetuation of same.

Mr. Ben believes that the recent controversial sale of off-spec fuel should be used as an opportunity to do a comprehensive investigation into the industry of contaminated fuel sale.

“If 20 million litres of products that we have bought with our own money – consumers have contributed to procure – so that BOST can hold as strategic stalk for us was actually sold as slop, it calls for investigation,” he said.

He expects investigations to be conducted by a committee set up by the Energy Minister to make findings that contradict the claims of the minister and bring finality to the issue.