Dr Betiku Olasimbo, MD/CEO, Mangrove Hills (left); Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd) former Airport Commandant, MMIA, Lagos (second left); Dr Richard Aisuebeogun, former MD/CEO, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (third left); Dr Thomas Ogungbangbe, CEO, CITA Energies Limited (fourth left); Mr Chris Ndulue, former MD, Arik Air (fourth right); Mr Martin Abhulimen, Regional Manager, Lagos &West Africa, Ibom Air (third right); Eng Peter Dia, GM, OPS, Octavus (second right), and Eng John Abegunde, MD, COLT Engineering at the event.
At a high-level colloquium organised by CITA Energies Limited in Lagos, aviation fuel experts, regulators, and industry stakeholders converged to dissect one of the most sensitive issues in air safety - fuel contamination and quality assurance in the aviation fuel value chain.
Held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, the event, which also marked the 55th birthday celebration of Dr Thomas Ogungbangbe, Managing Director of CITA Energies Limited, became a forum for frank discussions on the challenges of jet fuel supply, the creeping threat of a black market, and the urgent need for reforms and collaboration among industry players.
Global Benchmark and ICAO Standards
Globally, the quality of aviation fuel - particularly Jet A-1 - is regulated under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), which require that fuel supplied to aircraft meets stringent criteria of being clean, dry, and free from contamination.
ICAO Annex 6 and related documents outline quality assurance processes, from refinery production through storage, transportation, and into-wing delivery.
These standards are supported by documents such as ASTM D1655 and Defence Standard 91-091, which serve as global benchmarks for Jet A-1 specifications.
In line with these requirements, every step - from filtration at the depot to fuelling at the apron - must include multiple layers of filtration and quality control.
Yet, in Nigeria, experts at the colloquium lamented that negligence, poor regulation, and infrastructural decay continue to pose risks to product integrity.
"If You Take Water in an Aircraft, You Kill People"
Opening the panel session, a fuel systems engineer, Engr Peter Dia, General Manager, Operations, Octavus, underscored the criticality of preventing water contamination in aviation fuel.
"When I hear that a certain volume of water was drained from an aircraft's wing, I'm alarmed," he said.
"That shouldn't happen if quality control is done properly. From the depot to the bowser, every filtration point must be checked. If water is drained from your bowser, it calls for a full investigation."
He explained that aviation fuel, being a hydrocarbon, naturally attracts water condensation when tanks are half-filled, a situation worsened by improper handling or failure to follow quality control (QC) protocols.
"There's a standard procedure - you take a small sample, check it, and if it's dry, you proceed. If not, you stop. Negligence at any stage can have fatal consequences."
Another panellist, Engr. John Abegunde, Managing Director, COLT Engineering, expanded on this, describing the two-stage filtration system used globally: the first stage removes particles and coalesces small droplets of water, while the second acts as a separator to block any remaining moisture.
"When this process is ignored or filters are not replaced because of cost - and some filters cost as much as three million naira per unit - then safety is compromised. This isn't like petrol for cars. If water enters aviation fuel, it can destroy engines and cost lives."
The Dangers of a Black Market in Jet Fuel
Former Managing Director of Arik Air and current CEO of Ndano Energy, Mr Chris Ndulue, issued a stern warning about the rise of a black market for jet fuel, attributing it to weak financial structures among local marketers.
"When marketers are too many and financially weak, they can't afford to buy from credible sources. That's when they turn to black markets - buying aviation fuel in jerry cans and from uncertified storage points," he said.
He described the scenario as "a disaster waiting to happen," adding that such illegal trading undermines safety and threatens the reputation of Nigeria's aviation industry.
"You cannot have 36 aviation fuel marketers and only eight airlines. That imbalance makes the market unsustainable. The NCAA must begin to assess the financial health of fuel marketers, just as it does with airlines."
Ndulue advocated for industry consolidation, urging smaller marketers to merge or collaborate in order to build financially robust entities capable of sourcing directly from reputable refineries such as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Collaboration and Regulatory Reforms
In his keynote, Dr Richard Aisuebeogun, former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), emphasised that collaboration among regulators, marketers, and airlines is essential to sustaining aviation fuel quality and pricing integrity.
He noted that while the establishment of the Dangote Refinery has improved product availability, more must be done to ensure adherence to international quality standards.
"Part 18 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations stipulates that no operator should set up a fuel facility without at least seven days of storage capacity," Aisuebeogun explained. "Beyond that, the NCAA must certify not only depots but also individuals who handle and dispense fuel. Safety depends on people as much as on infrastructure."
He added that periodic joint inspections by experts from the NCAA, FAAN, DPR (now NMDPRA), and independent professionals were essential to ensuring compliance. "Those who fail to meet standards should be shut down. Aviation fuel is not a casual business; it is a matter of national safety."
Reviving Infrastructure: The Atlas Cove Pipeline
Dr Ogungbangbe, in his contribution, outlined CITA Energies' efforts to revive the 98-kilometre Atlas Cove- Mosimi-Ejigbo-Murtala Muhammed Airport pipeline, decommissioned since 1998.
He stressed that restoring the pipeline could eliminate over 100 fuel tankers from Lagos roads daily, significantly reducing cost, congestion, and risk.
"If the government works with the private sector to restore this pipeline, we could cut the cost of aviation fuel by up to N40 per litre," Ogungbangbe asserted.
"It will not only improve safety but also boost airline profitability and stimulate economic activity."
He called for inter-agency collaboration involving the NNPC Limited, Navy, Nigerian Maritime Authority, and the Ministry of Blue Economy to make the initiative a reality.
Beyond Dangote: Ensuring Competition and Compliance
While participants commended Dangote Refinery for stabilising supply, they also cautioned against monopolistic tendencies.
The colloquium resolved that compliance with international inspection standards must be strictly enforced and that modular refineries cannot yet meet the global benchmarks required for aviation fuel due to their limited production and quality control capacities.