The Dangote Refinery has refuted claims that it sold petrol to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) at N898 per litre.
In a statement issued late Sunday, Anthony Chiejina, the spokesperson for the refinery, described the assertion by NNPCL as “misleading and mischievous.”
Chiejina responded to earlier comments by NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, who claimed that the first batch of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Dangote Refinery was sold to NNPCL at N898 per litre.
Dismissing this claim, Chiejina said, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to the NNPCL. This statement is both misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024, towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedeviled the economy in the past 50 years.”
He urged Nigerians to disregard the NNPCL’s statement and wait for the formal pricing announcement from the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, which will begin on October 1, 2024.
“We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars.”
The Dangote Refinery emphasized that the petroleum products sold to NNPCL were priced in dollars, offering significant savings compared to the cost of importing petrol.
Chiejina explained, “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.”
This clarification comes after NNPCL commenced loading petrol from the Dangote Refinery on Sunday, marking a significant step toward reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported fuel. Despite regulatory challenges that delayed operations, the refinery is expected to reach its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day by the end of the year.
The $20 billion refinery, owned by Africa’s leading industrialist Aliko Dangote, is set to play a crucial role in addressing Nigeria’s persistent energy challenges.
As the country’s state-owned refineries remain non-operational, Nigeria has been heavily dependent on imported refined petroleum products, primarily sourced by NNPCL.
Fuel shortages and surging petrol prices have been a constant feature in Nigeria, particularly following the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023, which saw prices rise from about ₦200 per litre to nearly ₦1000 per litre. This increase has strained the population, who rely heavily on petrol to power their vehicles and homes due to Nigeria’s unreliable electricity supply.
With the Dangote Refinery now supplying petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel, hopes are high for improved energy availability across the country.