Nigerian petrol marketers have expressed difficulties in purchasing Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from the Dangote Refinery, despite the recent fuel price hike.
Abubakar Maigandi, Chairman of the Independent Petrol Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), revealed this during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday.
His statement contradicts claims by Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, who stated that retailers are neglecting his refinery’s surplus of 500 million liters of petrol.
Dangote, speaking during a visit by the Naira-for-crude implementation committee to President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, expressed concerns about the refinery operating at a loss due to the lack of demand for its products.
However, reacting to the development, Maigandi blamed Dangote’s refinery for unending delays in registering IPMAN members to lift Dangote Fuel directly.
According to him, recently marketers on NNPCL instruction went to Dangote Refinery to lift petrol but stayed four days without getting product.
“Recently, some of the IPMAN marketers that NNPCL sent to Dangote Refinery to lift gasoline stayed with their trucks for four days; they are unable to load.
“That is why we have been contacting Dangote Refinery to allow loading directly, so that immediately we pay for the product, we could lift it immediately.
“If Dangote has 500 million litres of fuel in stock, we are ready to buy the product directly.
“Until now, NNPCL is still the sole offtaker of Dangote Petrol.
“In buying directly from Dangote Refinery, there are some processes put in place by the company that we are still following. They said they cannot sell the product to us individually. The company wants us to come in groups, which we have already done. We have submitted an application. Until the present day, Dangote Refinery has yet to register us, talkless of going to the refinery to lift the product.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), I called their attention; we were told to wait,” he said.
He added that oil marketers are boycotting Dangote’s Petrol for imported fuel because of the challenges they face in purchasing the product directly from Dangote Refinery and the pricing template.
This comes as Nigerians buy fuel at between N1030 and N1250 per litre across the country.
