Marketers begin registration with Dangote refinery ahead of loading
Adewale Akintaro
As Nigerians eagerly await premium motor spirit from the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery this month, petroleum reports say marketers have begun registering with the company ahead of loading the product.
The marketers are said to be registering as individual business owners struggling to get direct fuel supply from the oil refinery.
This comes as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria stated that it would continue talks with the company to get bulk supply for its members who may not be able to buy a large volume of petrol from the refinery.
Recall that last month the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, announced that it would begin the sale of PMS in June, saying his refinery would end the importation of petrol into Nigeria.
Speaking at the recent Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, Dangote expressed optimism about transforming Africa’s energy landscape.
“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a litre,” he declared
“We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico.”
“We have started producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel, and by next month, we’ll be producing gasoline. What that will do, it will be able to take most African crude,” Dangote told the panel.
The words of Dangote appeared to have come as a soothing balm to marketers who have not been able to import fuel for a long time.
To independent marketers, the news is heart-warming because they have hitherto depended on third parties to get petrol at a higher cost for their filling stations scattered across the country.
When he was speaking with our correspondent in May, the National Vice President of IPMAN, Hammed Fashola, expressed happiness, saying “the Dangote refinery can satisfy our needs as far as petroleum products are concerned, especially petrol”.
The IPMAN leader expressed the eagerness of marketers to start lifting fuel from the refinery, saying, “We are all waiting, we are eager for the commencement of the lifting on petroleum products from Dangote refinery, especially petrol”.
The marketer stressed that the private refinery would put an end to fuel scarcity in Nigeria as the product would no longer be imported.
Meanwhile, Fashola explained that IPMAN as a body is yet to have an agreement with the Dangote refinery on the supply of premium motor spirit, calling on the company to consider working directly with the association instead of individuals.
He noted that IPMAN should be a beautiful bride before Dangote for being in control of over 80 per cent of the filling stations in Nigeria.
Fashola said plans had been concluded to meet Dangote for discussions on possible price cuts.
