ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Oil marketers have confirmed their support for purchasing refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Dangote Refinery, emphasizing that they are not opposed to the facility.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday, President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, clarified that marketers are willing to buy products from Dangote Refinery, provided all market conditions are effectively negotiated and agreed upon.
Gillis-Harry also noted that a meeting with the Dangote Refinery is scheduled for this week to advance discussions and lay the foundation for a collaborative 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.
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“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 patronise Dangote Refinery. We have no reason not to patronise him,” he said.
The clarification comes in response to PETROAN’s recent claims that the Dangote Refinery is attempting to limit competition in the downstream sector.
These concerns were raised by marketers after Dangote Refinery suggested that criticism of its petrol pricing was driven by marketers’ preference for importing lower-quality products at cheaper rates.
In a statement on Sunday, Dangote Refinery disclosed that it sells petrol at N990 per litre for truck purchases and N960 per litre for ship orders, emphasizing that its pricing aligns with international market standards.
The refinery’s announcement followed remarks from both PETROAN and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, who argued that they could source petrol at prices below Dangote’s rates.