The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has clarified that it has not received any payments from the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for refined petroleum products, following claims by IPMAN members that they were unable to load petrol from the refinery.
In a statement released on Thursday, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer for Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Anthony Chiejina, stated that the refinery cannot be held responsible for any payments made to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), and that no authorization has been granted by NNPCL for the sale of petrol to IPMAN.
On October 29, Aliko Dangote, founder of DIL, noted that the refinery currently holds over 500 million litres of petrol, yet oil marketers have not been purchasing the product. In response, IPMAN’s President Abubakar Garima said on Channels Television that the association had paid N40 billion to NNPCL but still faced challenges sourcing petrol from the refinery.
In its latest statement, Dangote Refinery emphasized that it currently has no direct business dealings with IPMAN.
“Although discussions are ongoing with IPMAN, it is misleading to suggest that they (IPMAN members) are experiencing difficulties loading refined products from our Petroleum Refinery, as we currently have no direct business dealings with them,” the statement reads.
Chiejina also advised that IPMAN members register directly with the refinery and make direct payments, affirming the refinery’s capacity to meet the nation’s demand for petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel.
He noted that the refinery has the ability to load 2,900 trucks per day and is also distributing products by sea.
“It is instructive for all stakeholders to refrain from making unfounded statements in the media, as that could undermine the economic re-engineering efforts of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Chiejina added.
The refinery encouraged a collaborative approach among stakeholders, in line with President Tinubu’s vision, rather than resorting to media disputes and misinformation.
