IPMAN replies Dangote, says marketers spend days at refinery without loading petrol

IPMAN replies Dangote, says marketers spend days at refinery without loading petrol 

 

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) says its members could not load petrol from the Dangote Refinery in Lagos after they had waited there for days.

This, it said, came despite paying ₦40bn to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

IPMAN President Abubakar Garima stated this on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday.

He spoke in response to Chairman of the Dangote refinery Aliko Dangote, who earlier declared that his Lagos refinery had enough petrol for local consumption.

Dangote also urged the marketers to stop importing, which he noted as part of the causes of unending queues in some states including Abuja.

Garima expressed surprise that the owner of the $20bn refinery Aliko Dangote said marketers were boycotting his refinery to buy imported petrol.

He said, “Just of recent, there are some of my marketers that NNPCL sent to load in Dangote refinery and those marketers stayed with their trucks for four days, and they cannot load.”

He said rather than get Dangote petrol through the NNPCL, the private refinery should register independent petrol marketers directly for smooth loading of the product.

The IPMAN president said, “If he (Dangote) can be able to sell the product to us directly, we can buy the product, because we have to pay before we pick.

“Presently, we have ₦40bn under the NNPCL custody but we cannot source the product.”

Garima said Nigerians would see a reduction in the pump price of petrol if Dangote Refinery let independent marketers lift the product directly like the NNPCL.

“Since he (Dangote) says marketers are not buying his product, he should check his price properly. Is it higher than what they are obtaining outside or is it the same rate? Then if marketers buy this product through him, how long will it take for it to reach their depots? That one too is a factor,” he stated.

The IPMAN president said there was nothing wrong if marketers outside his organisation decided to sell imported products but Dangote “should go and review and check how much are they selling outside.”