Oil marketers have urged the Federal Government to stop Dangote refinery from monopolising the petrol business.
In a statement sent to Economy Post, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) said contrary to claims that oil marketers were not patronising Dangote refinery, members had bought 518,500 metric tons (MT) of automotive gas oil (AGO) and Jet A1 from Dangote Refinery in five months.
“Petroleum Marketers have lifted 518,500 metric tons of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Jet A1 from Dangote Refinery (DR), representing 60 per cent of national Truck-out in five months, investigations have shown. This is contrary to comments credited to Dangote Refinery indicating that local Petroleum Marketers were yet to patronise its Refinery,” DAPPMAN said.
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Devakumar Edwin, vice-president of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), had said on September 12 that only three percent of petrol marketers were buying the refinery’s products.
“The conglomerate of all the importers are refusing to buy from us. It is very strange that after putting up the refinery to supply the products locally, I have to export every diesel and jet fuel because they do not want to buy from us,” Edwin said in an X space
However, DAPPMAN has refuted the claim, saying that that “independent local marketers, including Asharami, MRS Oil and Gas, AA Rano, Rainoil, Prudent, NIPCO, Aym Shafa and Danmarna, among many others, have patronised Dangote Refinery over the past months.”
Oil marketers said say the patronage reinforced their commitment to ensuring seamless access to petroleum products across the nation.
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Further analysis of the transactions which occurred between April and September showed marketers lifted 489,500 MT of AGO and 29, 000 MT of Jet A1 distributed across various Nigerian ports, with 17 AGO shipments to Lagos, 6 to Warri, 2 to Port Harcourt, and 1 to Calabar. All three Jet A1 shipments were discharged in Lagos.
The marketers, however, said the lack of clarity surrounding the availability of Dangote Refinery’s Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol), remained a stumbling block to patronage within the local market.
According to Olufemi Adewole, Executive Secretary, DAPPMAN, the sector must operate transparently in a manner that would gives all stakeholders the opportunity to thrive and contribute significantly to the quest of ensuring availability, reliability and accessibility of petroleum products nation-wide.
Adewole said the alleged boycott of Dangote Refinery’s PMS was incorrect as petroleum marketers were still awaiting clearance from the government on the modalities regarding the offtake of PMS from the refinery.
“DAPPMAN as evidenced by patronage of various products from the Dangote Refinery by its members believes firmly in meeting Nigeria’s energy needs ,and remains aligned to calls for the nation not to end up in a monopoly, which will only jeopardise our economic growth and development,” he said.
Adewole noted that DAPPMAN and other marketers had consistently stated that the trading of petroleum products globally rested on the critical issues of price and quality, noting that “offtake will in keeping with the laws of demand and supply, gravitate towards sources where products can be bought at a lower price, better quality and seamless accessibility.”
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He reassured Nigerians that DAPPMAN would continue to work assiduously towards giving the nation top-notch fuel solutions, while securing the sustainability of the sector.
Economy Post had reported that Nigerians will pay about N950.22 for a litre of petrol at Lagos filling stations and as high as N1,019 per litre in Borno State amid the lingering cold war between Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
