By Ola Kay
Petroleum marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL have debunked accusations by the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, Edwin Devakumar of local petroleum marketers boycotting Dangote Refinery’s petrol despite offering lower prices, that only 3 percent of local petroleum marketers were interested in buying its recently rolled-out petrol product.
This came to the fore as the VP Dangote Industries spoke during an X space session organised by Nairametrics on Thursday in Lagos.
Edwin Devakumar that had stated that local marketers refused to purchase PMS also known as petrol from the 650,000 barrels per day Lagos-based refinery while having a preference for imported petrol.
But, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association, Billy Gillis-Harry, President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi and the Spokesperson of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye stated that local marketers cannot boycott Dangote Refinery’s petrol as claimed.
The development came up weeks after the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote officially announced the rollout of Petrol from the refinery.
Later, the company announced the September 15, 2024 date for the lifting of PMS, even as NNPCL recently confirmed that it is awaiting the 15 of September, 2024, date to commence lifting petrol from Dangote Refinery.
This came at a time at the time the Nigerian National Petroleum Limited, the country’s sole PMS importer adjusted its petrol price to N897 and N855 depending on the location.
Consequently, other petrol outlets dependent on NNPCL increased their fuel pump prices to around N980 to over N1000 per liter according on their location.
His claim and counter claims on both sides struck Nigerians and stakeholders differently in the face of the country’s multifaceted challenges.
IPMAN President, Gillis-Harry stated categorically that local marketers don’t even know the price of Dangote Refinery’s petrol, let alone boycotting the product. Rather, he challenged Dangote Refinery to disclose the price of its PMS. He said that oil marketers are willing and able to patronize Dangote Refinery’s petrol at a price that would be beneficial to both parties.
“Why don’t Dangote Refinery give us a price list of what his price is? They cannot tell the price of Dangote Refinery’s PMS which they claim is cheaper than imported petrol.
“What is the price of DRL petrol? How come they are saying marketers are boycotting their petrol? We don’t know how much Dangote is selling its petrol. We are willing to partner with him but we partner on the basis that we would be able to sell with a human face.
“Right now, everybody is crying. The buying price, not the landing price at retail outlets is N870 per liter. In filling stations in some areas N855 or N890. When we buy and take to our retail outlets with all the costs, including logistics, how much would it be? Gillis-Harry queried.
Continuing, the IPMAN boss said that the group is aware of what NNPCL is selling fuel and would like to know what Dangote Refinery will sell petrol. “We don’t know. We are anxious to know. We want to be able to patronize Dangote Refinery petrol,” he stressed.
As to whether Marketers are ready to buy Dangote Refinery’s petrol, he said, “We are willing to lift Dangote’s petrol. We don’t want him to sell his product at a loss while we don’t want terms of sales that will be strangulated.
“For instance, in the last trial of Dangote Refinery’s Automotive Gas Oil, we were made to buy a minimum of one million liters of diesel.
“How many retail outlets can afford to pay such an amount of money? That is the challenge because everybody wants to buy one, two or three trucks to take to their retail outlets. That was what we experienced with AGO.
“We don’t know what we should have with Dangote Refinery PMS because he has never spoken to us or given us a basis to trade with him. However, we are willing and able to work with him.”
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