Marketers cite pricing issue for non-patronage of Dangote Refinery

…Review price of PMS

By Seun Ibiyemi

Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has charged Alhaji Aliko Dangote to review the price of his Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol as it could be the reason marketers are avoiding it.

Recall that the billionaire industrialist after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja told reporters that he has over 500 million litres in tanks at his mammoth refinery but marketers are not patronising his facility.

Responding to the allegation, IPMAN President Abubakar Garima while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday urged the billionaire businessman to check his pricing.

“Since he (Dangote) says marketers are not buying his product, he should check his price properly. Is it higher than what they are obtaining outside or is it the same rate? Then if marketers buy this product through him, how long will it take for it to reach their depots? That one too is a factor,” Garima stated.

The IPMAN president said there was nothing wrong if marketers outside his organisation decided to sell imported products but Dangote “should go and review and check how much are they selling outside.”

The IPMAN president also dropped a bombshell saying its members can’t load petrol from the Dangote Refinery in Lagos despite having paid ¦ 40bn to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

“If he (Dangote) can be able to sell the product to us directly, we can buy the product, because we have to pay before we pick. Presently, we have ¦ 40bn under the NNPCL custody but we cannot source the product.

“Just of recent, there were some of my marketers that NNPCL sent to load in Dangote refinery and those marketers stayed with their trucks for four days, and they cannot load,” he said.