.Promise affordable, regular PMS supply
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) will start lifting premium motor spirit (PMS), automotive gas oil (AGO) and Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK) directly from Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
Abubakar Maigandi, national president of the association, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, noting that Dangote refinery has obliged IPMAN to start lifting petroleum products directly for onward supply to depots and retail outlets.
This new arrangement with the Dangote refinery, according to IPMAN, will ensure steady and ceaseless supply of PMS products all over Nigeria at an affordable rate.
“We got the assurance that we are going to start lifting directly through Dangote, and that is why we want to inform all members to get set to take products from Dangote directly, not through the third party.
“Already, we all know the sector is being fully deregulated. I assure you, the price that we are expecting to get will be at a lower rate by God’s grace,” he said.
Maigandi said it has become imperative for IPMAN members to fully support Dangote refinery, stating that it is the ideal thing to do considering the monumental benefits of backward integration and the medium- to long-term impact it will have on the foreign exchange market in Nigeria.
Speaking on its contribution to the federal government’s compressed natural gas (CNG) drive, Maigandi urged members to begin the deployment of machineries for a successful transition to CNG refill stations in all retail outlets.
“Truly, there is no doubt that CNG has the potential to rejuvenate our economy for a better life for Nigerians, and IPMAN is ready to give it all to support,” he said.
In his remarks, Aminu Abdukadir, the chairman, IPMAN Board of Trustees, said that the association must remain committed to delivering products to consumers.
“The business of making money without doing anything is over, with the deregulation of the sector. For IPMAN to survive, it must have the filling stations, the money, the trucks, to deliver this commodity to motorists,” he said.
Earlier Disagreement
On October 29, Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, had said that about 500 million litres of petrol available in his refinery had not been taken up by marketers.
Dangote, who stated this while fielding questions from State House journalists after a meeting of the Implementation Committee of Sale of Crude and Refined Petroleum products with President Bola Tinubu, wondered why there were shortages of fuel at most filling stations.
“We have enough supply of crude. We can actually produce much more than 30 million litres every day. At full capacity, we can even supply whatever is being consumed.
“As we speak today, we have 500 million liters in our tanks. So, with 500 million litres in our tanks, even if there’s no production from anywhere or no imports, this will take the country more than 12 days with no imports, no production.”
Speaking further on the shortages and long queues at the filling stations, Africa’s richest man said that the marketers were not coming forward to take petrol from the refinery.
Marketers’ response
However, IPMAN responded to Dangote’s assertion, noting that it was more expensive to buy PMS, also known as petrol, from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery than other sources.
Yakubu Suleiman, national assistant secretary of IPMAN, said, “If Dangote has a product selling for N1,000, let’s assume, and there’s another place selling for N900, we can’t just say, for the sake of our relationship with Dangote, we’ll instruct our members to buy there. We must go where the price is lower, where we’ll get profit.”
“As of last week, Dangote’s price was higher than other places. Crude prices are coming down internationally, but Dangote’s rate was N995 per litre, and you have to arrange for your cargo and loading. With additional costs for transport and depot fees, how can we sell it at the final outlet?”
Dangote Denies IPMAN’s Claim
But Dangote refinery issued a statement, asserting that any claims of cheaper PMS price than theirs likely indicated the importation of substandard products.
Anthony Chiejina, group chief branding and communications officer, said that Dangote’s pricing was benchmarked against international market rates.
He expressed concern that lower-priced imports could compromise both public health and vehicle integrity.
