Base Oil Standards

Players in the Nigerian lubricant sector voiced the sentiment that, as yet, the country has no reference standards for base oils. Mary-Anne Adeeko, managing director for Fraals Testing Ltd. Lagos noted, When you look at our standards and international standards, there is a big gap [between] our standard [and] what is obtainable [in other countries]. If this continues, we will continue to see importation of substandard lubes to the country. Adeeko stated that the Nigerian standard hovers around API SF-CD, which she emphasized is obsolete compared to international specifications and standards.

George Nwakaihe, marketing business development and laboratories manager for SGS Inspection agreed, stressing that Nigeria needs a specification and reference standard. We need to create a reference standard but I dont agree that we need a common method. We could have an agreed method, he noted.

Kayode Sote, chief executive officer of Lubes Services Associates, technical consultants to the Summit, noted, In terms of base oils, we have a problem because they are being sold in every nook and cranny of the country. Most of the product we have in Nigeria is API Group I.

Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum and group managing director of Nigerias National Petroleum Corporation, concurred. In his presentation, he lamented that another challenge is the proliferation of unadditized or poorly additized lubricants that are marketed in Nigeria with reckless abandon. This business is thriving due partly to consumer attitude and lack of awareness.

However, Taiye Williams, managing director for Lubcon International Ltd., differed, stressing, We do have reference standards, and they are based on international standards. Williams, who sits on the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) standards committee, disclosed that the committee has decided to upgrade the requirements for base oils and lubricants. We are going to normalize the requirements and issue a specification that can be referenced, he disclosed.

However, Nwakaihe said SON has a lot of old specifications that are outdated and not in tune with modern standards. We need to create a standard and form an accreditation committee for the sector, Nwakaihe emphasized.

Lubes Services Sote noted that there is no laboratory in Nigeria that analyzes oil samples, stressing that he wants SON and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to work with original equipment manufacturers to ensure that quality is uniform and standardized.

Sote noted that the burden of issuing reference standards for lubricants rests on the shoulders of the DPR and SON because they are the government agencies responsible for enforcing standards. He pointed out that SON and DPR should direct part of their field checks to laboratories in the sector to ensure compliance.

Labs Lacking

Fraals Adeeko noted that the main challenge facing the sector is that no technical laboratories in the country can generate reproducible results. She emphasized that it is time to encourage private companies to participate in the sector to ensure quality in the market, and she urged DPR and SON to establish labs that will work with private sector players. Minister Kachikwu agreed that more collaboration is need between SON and DPR to fully stem the tide of substandard lubricants in the market.

Chika Okafor, chairman of A-Z Petrochemicals Ltd., predicted, If we quantify the effect of poor quality lubricant, I dont think the government will keep quiet. We are losing billions every day because of what [consumers] think is cheap oil. People dont consider the long term impact of high-quality lubricants when measured against the impact of cheap oil. The impact is unquantifiable.

Joseph Odumodu, director-general of SON, agreed that Nigerias prevailing standards require updating. He stressed that updating in the lubricant sector requires stakeholder engagement and participation in standards development. He emphasized that standards being considered include those for engine oils, base oils, gear oils and hydraulic oils.

Kasali Adunola, manager of a hydrocarbon processing plant for DPR, said that SON and DPR have been working together to set the standards for base oils. Any product that comes into the country is benchmarked with SON. We need to ensure that base oils coming
into Nigeria have additives, he said.

EU intervenes

Meanwhile, the European Union has assisted Nigeria with a grant of 10 million to set up a national quality infrastructure policy. According to Fraals Adeeko, the grant will result in the evolution of a national quality policy.

It is about helping Nigeria have the structure for quality assurance. Metrology is one aspect; laboratory accreditation is another; and auditor training trainers is yet another. We will have a Nigerian accreditation body that will certify organizations to carry out these functions, Adeeko said in a private interview.

It is a good thing for the lubricant sector and Nigeria in general because quality is the basis of everything. So, anything that is good has a quality standard and specification, he added. The best thing for Nigeria is to have a quality policy in every sector.

Adeeko elaborated that a National Metrology Institute is being built in Enugu, in South East Nigeria. It will be a private organization with the goal of standardizing laboratory procedures across the country.

Adeeko emphasized that Nigerias oil and gas sector must join the National Quality Infrastructure project because it will provide the opportunity to participate in the development of a quality policy for the country. However, she noted that the national quality policy draft is awaiting the presidents signature, but I am sure as soon everything is settled it should be signed.

Way Forward

Professor Steve Odi-Owei, president of the Tribology Society of Nigeria stressed the need for greater collaboration between industry and academia. There is a gap in the understanding of lubrication science and technology in our institutions of higher learning. This calls for a review of curricula so that the cost of training young graduates in our industry can be reduced, he said.

Institutional development by way of establishing state-of-the-art laboratories is desirable to make them centers of excellence. Such centers should be insulated from the attitudes and bureaucratic weaknesses associated with public-owned enterprises in Nigeria. They must be focused to meet international standards in management and professional output. He emphasized that such laboratories must draw strength from an active interface between industry and the academia and be viable.

Lubes Services Sote concurred stressing, I believe industry should collaborate with academia to benefit the students and the university community. SON and DPR should link up with one or two universities, so they can collaborate to ensure sustainable quality in the lubricant sector.

In conclusion, Adeeko argued that the Nigerian lubricant sector needs an Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System. She said that such a system would help ensure that lubricant quality is monitored and made public.