The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has raised concerns over the pricing of petrol from the Dangote Refinery, urging the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to ensure it is not sold at a higher price than imported fuel.
According to IPMAN, it doesn’t make sense for the NNPCL to sell petrol lifted from the Ɗangote Refinery higher than imported ones, adding that the pricing strategy for locally refined petrol should reflect the advantages of domestic production, offering Nigerians a more affordable option.
This was disclosed by the IPMAN National Welfare Officer, John Kekeocha on a television programme yesterday. “If NNPCL can sell Ɗangote products higher than the imported products then it doesn’t make sense. What is the celebration we are having all these while then?”, he queried.
The association argued that such a disparity would be counterproductive to the nation’s drive for energy self-sufficiency and could negatively impact consumers and marketers alike. It emphasised that maintaining competitive pricing is crucial for the success of the Ɗangote Refinery and for fostering a sustainable fuel market in the country.
The NNPCL began loading the first batch of petrol from the Ɗangote Refinery on Sunday, saying it got petrol at N898 per litre from the private refinery.
Before lifting petrol from the Ɗangote Refinery on Sunday, NNPCL retail outlets in Lagos sell petrol for around N855, but said a litre of Ɗangote petrol now sell for N950 per litre in Lagos and N1,019 in Borno.
However, Ɗangote Refinery denied selling petrol to the NNPCL at N898. A spokesman for the refinery, Anthony Chiejina, in a statement at the weekend, described the claim by the NNPCL as “misleading and mischievous”.
“It should also be noted that we sold the products to NNPCL in dollars with a lot of savings against what they are currently importing. With this action, there will be petrol in every local government area of the country regardless of their remote nature”, Chiejina said.
