2 Safety Measures You Must Follow During Fuel Scarcity

In the eyes of most Nigerians, 2017 was marred by so many shortcomings and the yet unfulfilled promises of the present government. Worst of all is the fuel scarcity which hit during the festive season and is leaving many Nigerians frustrated not only with the government but also with their fellow Nigerians.


While most Nigerians are rushing to fill up their gallons, screaming, biting, bickering, fighting, dragging, pushing and pulling, station attendants and themselves in the long endless queues, they may be too busy and miss a few safety tips that could change their holiday celebrations completely.

Here are 2 safety measures you must follow during fuel scarcity

1. Buying Contaminated / Adulterated Fuel

Fuel scarcity is always a boom season for the black fuel market. The sellers get to inflate their prices as much as they want and blame it on fuel scarcity. I remember shouting "for what?" in surprise when I heard the new price for a liter is N350.

To these black market sellers, it is a season of joy and profit and that is why I want my readers to be careful, some sellers can decide to take it to a new level and mix the fuel you buy with something else (kerosene or diesel or water) to get more profit. 

So, while you are rushing to fill your tank, make sure you are buying the fuel you requested for, and not adulterated fuel.

Ways To Know If Your Petrol Is Adulterated

Adulterated fuel can be easily identified with smells and colors, the addition of kerosene or diesel to petrol normally changes the color and smell of it and should be easy to detect.

Another indicator is vehicle/generator performance

Adulterated fuel doesn't burn like normal fuel and can damage your vehicle/generator, thereby reducing its performance. Another indicator would be the color of smoke that comes from the exhaust pipes and how fast the fuel burns.

You can also use a Whatman 2 Quality Filter Paper to test if the fuel is adulterated or not

“A customer has to put a drop of petrol, directly from the nozzle, on the filter paper. If the petrol is unadulterated, it will evaporate quickly without leaving any stain. If it is adulterated, it will evaporate slowly, leaving a stain on the filter paper,” a press statement said. The filter paper test is meant only for petrol.

Copyright: Paul Samuel FitnessDoctor (realfitbody.com)

2. Fuel Storage

Long queues with large numbers of gallons only mean one thing, most people are buying fuel for storage. While that seems like a good idea as things get worse with the fuel scarcity situation, you might want to be careful about how you store your fuel.

Fuel can go bad, just like your food and improper storage can make your fuel go bad really fast which makes it become useless and dangerous.

When storing fuel, it is important to note the location for storage, storage equipment and temperature of the location to prevent unwanted accidents.

So while you are rushing to your turn and the filling station or black market, be sure to keep to these safety measures for your own safety.

So there you have it. And Merry Christmas