Oil marketers deny boycotting Dangote refinery
Petroleum marketers said they have lifted 518,500 metric tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and Jet A1 from the Dangote refinery, representing 60 per cent of national truck-out in five months.
This is contrary to comments credited to the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, who said that local petroleum marketers were boycotting the refinery.
According to the depot owners, documents from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority showed that independent local marketers, including Asharami, MRS Oil and Gas, AA Rano, Rainoil, Prudent, NIPCO, Aym Shafa and Danmarna, among many others, have patronised Dangote refinery over the past months, a development the marketers said reinforced their commitment to ensuring seamless access to petroleum products across the nation.
According to them, the transactions which occurred between April and September showed marketers lifted 489,500 MT of diesel and 29,000 MT of Jet A1, distributed across various Nigerian ports, with 17 diesel shipments to Lagos, six to Warri, two to Port Harcourt, and on to Calabar.
All three Jet A1 shipments were reportedly discharged in Lagos.
The marketers, however, said the lack of clarity surrounding the availability of Dangote refinery’s Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol) remained a stumbling block to patronage within the local market.
According to the Executive Secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, Olufemi Adewole, the sector needs to operate transparently in a manner that allows all stakeholders to thrive and contribute significantly to the quest of ensuring availability, reliability and accessibility of petroleum products nationwide.
In a statement sent to our correspondent on Saturday, Adewole said the alleged boycott of the Dangote refinery’s PMS was incorrect as petroleum marketers were still awaiting clearance from the government on the modalities for the offtake of PMS from the refinery.
“DAPPMAN, as evidenced by the patronage of various products from the Dangote refinery by its members, believes firmly in meeting Nigeria’s energy needs and remains aligned to calls for the nation not to end up in a monopoly, which will only jeopardise our economic growth and development,” he said.
Adewole noted that DAPPMAN and other marketers had consistently stated that the trading of petroleum products globally rests on the critical issues of price and quality.
“Offtake will, in keeping with the laws of demand and supply, gravitate towards sources where products can be bought at a lower price, better quality and seamless accessibility,” he stated.
Adewole reassured Nigerians that DAPPMAN would continue to work towards providing the nation with top-notch fuel solutions while securing the sector’s sustainability.
