The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has granted major petroleum marketers permission to begin lifting Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. This move aligns with the existing agreement between NNPCL and the refinery.
Under the initial agreement, NNPCL is designated as the sole distributor of the refinery’s petrol, with the first consignment totaling 16.8 million liters managed by NNPCL’s retail entity. Recent reports confirm that some major marketers, including 11 Plc, have already started distributing the product from their outlets across Lagos and other regions.
A marketer, who chose to remain anonymous, explained: “Major marketers are now lifting from Dangote Refinery, but this is still within the framework of NNPC’s arrangement with the refinery. In essence, we are distributing NNPC’s product from the Dangote refinery, without a direct deal with the refinery itself.”
However, independent marketers have been excluded from this arrangement. Alhaji Abubakar Garima, National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), confirmed that only NNPCL has access to the Dangote fuel, which they distribute through their retail outlets. Independent marketers are currently awaiting new pricing information from NNPCL and are still dealing with old stock priced at N875 per liter.
Marketers have expressed concerns that they may need to resort to importing petrol to remain competitive. They have urged the Federal Government to open the sector to all players to ensure a more competitive market.
In the meantime, observations in Abuja and Lagos revealed that despite NNPC’s recent commencement of petrol loading from the Dangote Refinery, many filling stations are still without supply and have been closed.