The Punch reported that oil dealers, acting on behalf of the Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), reiterated that the refinery’s silence on the issue of pricing is stalling.
In response, the Dangote refinery revealed that it has not been cleared by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to sell petrol to members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
Said sources also claimed that the transactions between the refinery and marketers had been beneficial, hence the reason why the dealings began.
IPMAN and PETROAN accusation against Dangote
The Punch’s report disclosed that Abubakar Maigandi, the national president of IPMAN, stated on Wednesday that members of the group had visited the refinery but had been unable to lift petrol for over four days.
He made mention of this owing to the fact that Dangote had on Tuesday stated that the refinery possesses more than 500 million liters of petrol, which he said marketers are hesitant to purchase.
“If the refinery truly has 500 million liters, then there should be no reason our members couldn’t load after four days. We’re willing to buy the product directly if the refinery is ready to sell to us, but for now, our members can’t access it even after paying,” Maigandi stated.
Billy Gillis-Harry, the National President of PETROAN, shared a similar sentiment, noting that retailers have tried to load petrol from the refinery, but have largely been unsuccessful.
“We have listened to him (Dangote) and as far as I’m concerned what he said is very strange to my hearing. PETROAN had written to him since 2022, we wanted to have a business meeting with him and understand the business dynamics but no way up till now,” Gillis-Harry said to the Punch.
However, in a statement released on Thursday by Anthony Chiejina, the chief branding and communications officer for the Dangote Group, the refinery claimed it did not receive funds from IPMAN, saying that the funds went to NNPC, which did not give Dangote authorization to sell the independent marketers.
The refinery has stated that whilst discussions are underway, it does not yet have any direct dealings with IPMAN.
