Oil marketers have clarified that they are not opposed to Dangote Refinery and are open to purchasing refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the facility.
The President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN), Billy Gillis-Harry, made this clarification in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday.
Gillis-Harry stated that oil marketers would buy products from the refinery if all market conditions were properly negotiated and agreed upon.
He also mentioned that marketers plan to meet with Dangote Refinery this week to solidify discussions and establish the groundwork for a cooperative working relationship.
He explained, “There are no gloves off. What it is right now is that PETROAN, among other stakeholders who are patriotic and willing to serve Nigeria in the best way, will not at any time be denigrated. We have never taken off our gloves. Dangote is one of us. We love the fact that he has made this kind of sacrifice in Nigeria. We are very proud of him.
“However, after the pride, we need to get into business. We are surprised that we have been doing business over the airwaves. And that is not how this business should be done. We have NNPCL, which has been dealing with us, and there are very simple procedures for getting this business to work.
“We are letting the true information out in the public space so that everybody can decide what to do. We want to patronize Dangote Refinery. We have no reason not to patronize him,” he said.
The clarification follows PETROAN’s recent accusation that Dangote Refinery is attempting to stifle competition in the downstream sector.
Marketers raised these concerns after Dangote Refinery suggested they were criticizing its petrol pricing because they preferred to import lower-quality products at more affordable rates.
In a statement on Sunday, the refinery announced that it sells petrol at N990 per litre for trucks and N960 per litre for ships, stressing that its pricing aligns with international market rates.
Dangote Refinery’s disclosure came in response to statements from both PETROAN and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, who claimed they could secure petrol at prices lower than Dangote’s rates.
PUNCH
