- Seven vessels discharge petroleum products in Lagos
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) is insisting on the creation of ‘right conditions’ by Dangote Refinery for its members to do business with it.
President of the Dangote Group,Alhaji Aliko Dangote said on Tuesday that his refinery currently has over 500 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) available for sale to end fuel importation.
Members of IPMAN are not convinced that the management of the refinery has done enough to carry stakeholders along in its fuel supply strategy.
According to IPMAN’s National Assistant Secretary, Yakubu Suleiman, Dangote Refinery has to make things easy for retailers to patronise it.
Suleiman spoke yesterday on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme amid report of the fresh arrival at the Lagos Ports of seven vessels to berth diesel, crude oils bulk urea, petrol and aviation fuel.
“As IPMAN, Dangote was supposed to have invited us for engagements—not just IPMAN, but all stakeholders, including MOMAN and DAPMAN. Unfortunately, until this moment, there has been no engagement,” Suleiman said.
“It’s only IPMAN that has tried to engage him. We went to Dangote about three to four times seeking a meeting to discuss synergy between IPMAN and Dangote, but all to no avail. Most times, he tells us he will get back to us.
“Like every Nigerian, IPMAN is happy for Dangote and his refinery, which is very strategic to the country.
“IPMAN, as a stakeholder in the industry, is very happy to work with Dangote and buy products from him, but the conditions must be right. Examples include the price he is offloading at and the ease of loading.”
He said the price per litre of petrol at Dangote Refinery and additional charges are not making the product competitive in the market with imported fuel.
“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, that we’ll instruct our members to buy there. We must go where the price is lower, where we’ll get profit,” he said.
“Crude prices are coming down internationally, but Dangote’s rate was N995 per litre, and you have to arrange for your own cargo and loading. With additional costs for transport and depot fees, how can we sell it at the final outlet?“
He asked the Dangote Refinery management to engage with IPMAN, MOMAN, and DAPMAN “so that we can sit down and serve Nigerians.”
He said: “If Dangote sold directly to IPMAN at a fair price, fuel costs would have come down in Nigeria by now.
“We’d go straight to his refinery, pay N995 or N900, and transport it directly to our filling stations. I challenge you—if Dangote did this, you would see prices drop at our retail stations within days.”
Dangote to sell petrol directly to marketers soon
In a separate interview yesterday,IPMAN’s National President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, told The Nation that his association heard recently from Dangote Refinery that it would soon start selling directly to retailers.
“Up till now we are buying products through NNPCL and NNPCL will tell us to go there and load,” Maigandi said by phone.
“We are discussing they should allow us to start taking the product direct so that we can share to our members. He (Dangote) said he will do it. We wrote him a letter and even sat with his management.
“They have responded, that was when the DSS intervened, when they said they would allow us to buy directly.
“But up till now we have not started. But I know very soon we are going to start.
“That is what they are saying that any time they will call us to start paying. That is what the management said.”
Speaking on Tuesday after his meeting with President Tinubu on the fuel situation in the country,Dandote said retailers were not coming forward to lift the available products at the refinery thus causing financial losses for the company.
He said:“With 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.
“But what I estimated as consumption, which I believe may be about 30, 32 million, we can start producing by next week, so it is not really an issue, because, as we speak today, we have 500 million litres in our tanks.
“500 million litres in our tanks even if there’s no production from any or no imports, this will take the country more than 12 days, with no imports, with no production, nothing.
“We are more than ready.
“On the streets, one thing that you have to understand is that we are producers. I have a refinery. I’m not in the business of retail. If I’m in the business of retail, then you hold me responsible.
“But what I’m saying is that the retailers should please come forward and pick. If they don’t come forward and pick, what do you want me to do? There is nothing that I can do.
“I am expecting the NNPC or the marketers to stop importing, they should come and pick because we have what they need.
“I don’t know whether you understand what it takes to keep half a billion litres inside our tank.
Seven vessels due to berth petroleum products at Lagos Ports – NPA
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said that seven ships were scheduled to berth diesel, crude oils bulk urea, petrol and aviation fuel at the Lagos Ports yesterday.
Nine vessels were expected but seven ,according to the NPA, would berth diesel, crude oils bulk urea, petrol and aviation fuel.
“The remaining two vessels will berth with containers carrying different goods.
“The nine expected vessels will berth at Sifax, ENL Consortium Terminals, Apapa Bulk Terminal (ABT), among other terminals in Lagos,” it said.
The NPA said that a total of two vessels were waiting to berth at Apapa and Tincan Island Ports with bulk urea and aviation fuel.
It added that three vessels were currently discharging general cargo, petrol and container at Lekki Deep Sea port in Lagos.
