The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has expressed surprise at the news that Ghanaian music artiste Famaye has been compensated with an amount of GHS25,000 by an unnamed Oil Marketing Company (OMC), after they allegedly sold fuel contaminated with water to the artiste. 

“The news that music artiste, Peter Bozah, alias Fameye, has received GHS25,000 compensation from an unnamed Oil Marketing Company (OMC) for allegedly selling him fuel contaminated with water came to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) as a surprise,” a statement signed by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the NPA said on Wednesday, 19 April 2023.

It disclosed that “in the case of Famaye and his Management Team, they have refused to cooperate with the NPA in terms of providing the name and location of the retail outlet following his tweet on the suspected purchase of fuel contaminated with water.”

It revealed that: “In an earlier interaction with the Authority, Fameye’s management Team said it would handle the matter by itself. Despite that position, the NPA still affirmed its readiness to proceed with the investigation if Fameye’s Management Team decided to cooperate with the Authority by providing it with all necessary contact details."

The NPA stressed that the procedure for handling such complaints is to conduct rigorous investigations where samples may be obtained from “retail outlet and customer’s vehicle, and it prefers to collect a sample from customer’s vehicle within 48 hours after purchase.”

“Assuming that Fameye’s claim of purchasing fuel contaminated with water is valid, how can NPA protect the interest of other consumers who might have purchased or still purchasing fuel from the unnamed retail outlet?” the NPA quizzed.

It continued that: “It is for this reason that on Tuesday, 18 April 2023, the Consumer Services Department once again reached out to Fameye’s Management Team for information on the name and location of the retail outlet to proceed with investigation after the NPA’s attention was drawn to the news of the alleged settlement.”

It stated categorically that: “The refusal of Fameye and his management team to disclose the name and location of the retail outlet and OMC in question is a concern to the regulator of the industry.”

The NPA reiterated that its doors are still open to thoroughly investigate the case and conduct the needed investigation, "provided that Fameye and his Management Team cooperate with us.”

It also urged consumers with “complaints of suspected fuel adulteration or any fuel related concerns to reach the NPA on its customer service lines.”

The Ghanaian rapper had disclosed how the fuel tank of his car was filled with water mixed with petrol.

According to the rapper, this happened when he decided to fill his tank at a fuel station in the country, which he did not name.

The rapper whose car was at the time faulty was asking his fans for advice on what to do.

In a tweet on Wednesday, 15 March 2023, the rapper narrated: “So few days ago, I go buy fuel for one fuel station, GHS700, the rest is heart breaking. 

“They filled my tank with water mixed with petrol. As I’m talking to you now, my car Honda pilot touring 2019 model is spoilt [sad face emoji].

“[I have] spent 7k already still not working!!! What do I do?”

However, the artiste has since disclosed that the fuel outlet had given him GHS25,000 as compensation for the incident.