THE Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has stated that its members are unable to load petrol from the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, despite having paid ₦40 billion to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
IPMAN President Abubakar Garima made this revelation today during an interview.
Garima expressed his astonishment at comments from Aliko Dangote, the owner of the $20 billion refinery, who claimed that marketers were opting to purchase imported petrol instead of sourcing from his facility.
“We are currently facing over ₦40 billion in outstanding debt with the NNPCL,” Garima noted. “I was taken aback when Dangote mentioned he has over 500 million liters of PMS available. We are prepared to buy directly from Dangote if he is willing to sell to us.”
He emphasized that his members are not engaged in importing petrol, contrary to the assertions made by Africa’s richest man. Instead of relying on the NNPCL for petrol from Dangote, Garima suggested that the private refinery should directly register independent petrol marketers to facilitate a smoother loading process.
“If Dangote can sell us the product directly, we are ready to make the purchase, as payment is required upfront. Right now, we have ₦40 billion held by the NNPCL, but we are unable to acquire the product.”
He added that recently, several of his marketers were dispatched by the NNPCL to load at the Dangote refinery and ended up waiting for four days without being able to load.
Yesterday, billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote met with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja and informed reporters that he has over 500 million liters stored at his extensive refinery, yet marketers are not utilizing his facility.
Details later…
