Dangote Refinery has refuted claims by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) that it sold Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, at ₦898 per litre, Okay.ng reports.
In a statement released on Sunday, the refinery described the NNPC’s assertion as “misleading” and “mischievous.”
The company’s spokesperson, Anthony Chiejina, urged Nigerians to disregard the NNPC’s announcement and await an official pricing declaration from the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based Crude Sales to Local Refineries, appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPC Ltd. spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at ₦898 per litre to the NNPC,” the statement read.
“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.”
The controversy began when NNPC Ltd.’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, told journalists that the company purchased petrol from Dangote Refinery at ₦898 per litre during the initial loading of trucks.
“We successfully loaded PMS at the Dangote Refinery today,” Soneye said. “The claim that we purchased it at ₦760 per litre is incorrect. For this initial loading, the price from the refinery was ₦898 per litre.”
However, Dangote Refinery countered this claim, emphasizing that their current stock of crude was procured in dollars and that the products were sold to NNPC Ltd. in dollars, resulting in significant savings compared to current import costs.
“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, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars,” the refinery’s statement continued.
The refinery also highlighted its commitment to alleviating fuel scarcity in Nigeria.
“It should also be noted that we sold the products to NNPC Ltd. 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,” the statement added.
“We assure Nigerians of the availability of quality petroleum products and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country.”
The initial lifting of petrol from the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery commenced on Sunday, with over 100 trucks loaded for distribution around the country.
Located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, the refinery is expected to significantly boost domestic fuel supply.
