Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) President, Gillis-Harry, has challenged Dangote Refinery’s assertion that local marketers are boycotting its products.
Gillis-Harry stated that marketers are unaware of the refinery’s petrol price, making boycott claims baseless.
He emphasized that marketers are willing to purchase Dangote Refinery’s petrol if the price is mutually beneficial.
Gillis-Harry urged Dangote Refinery to disclose its Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) price to facilitate cooperation.
He queried: “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?
“But at least, we know what NNPCL is selling fuel, let us also 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.”
When asked about the readiness of Marketers 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”, he said.
- Marketers can’t boycott Dangote Refinery’s petrol – IPMAN president
On his part, Maigandi explained that IPMAN and its members did not receive any message from Dangote Refinery over its petrol until Wednesday, noting that marketers have yet to know the price of the firms’ petrol.
According to him, there is no way marketers would boycott Dangote Refinery Petrol with cheaper prices.
He noted that marketers are ready to patronize Dangote Refinery provided that its petrol prices are not more than the prices they are getting from other places.
Maigandi said IPMAN held a meeting on Thursday to discuss a partnership request letter written by Dangote Refinery.
He revealed that IPMAN plans to meet with Dangote Refinery to marshal out how to implement the partnership.
“We will hold a meeting with Dangote Refinery.
“We didn’t receive any information on Dangote Refinery until yesterday (Wednesday). We don’t know the price of Dangote Refinery’s Petrol.
“After a meeting with our members today (Thursday), we are ready to buy Petrol from Dangote Refinery in any condition provided the price is not more than the price we are getting from other places.
“NNPCL, you know they are the sole importer, the company sells to us at an average price of N875 per liter.
“For the NNPCL product, we sell at N930 or N940 depending on how the product was obtained. While at the depot, we buy at N990 per liter. We are marketers, anywhere we can get it at a lower rate, we will go there.
“In the letter to us, Dangote said the PMS is ready. The price was not stated.
“We can’t boycott Dangote Refinery; if Dangote Refinery’s petrol is cheaper, how can marketers boycott the product?
“We don’t have any issue with Dangote Refinery”, he said.
