‘We Produce More Than Enough’ – Dangote Refinery Faults Oil Marketers Over Claims Of Not Meeting Demands
According to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, oil marketers have made false claims about its incapacity to meet local fuel demands.
The refinery insisted that it had enough fuel to meet demand at home and export to other countries.
The executive secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Olufemi Adewole, reportedly responded to remarks made by the refinery’s founder, Aliko Dangote, regarding some powerful marketers sabotaging the $20 billion facility by claiming that marketers are mainly concerned with maintaining their operations through fuel imports.
Dangote’s idea of a “cabal” within the sector was rejected by Adewole, but he did recognize the interests of private depot owners who had made significant investments over the years to guarantee a consistent supply of petroleum for Nigerians.
“The Dangote refinery has not been able to meet even the current reduced local consumption levels, despite its substantial capacity of 650,000 barrels,” the DAPPMAN representative said, adding that private depot owners still bear the majority of the fuel distribution duties across the country.
In his recent presentation at the Villa, the chief executive of the authority (NMDPRA) quoted them as saying that the Dangote refinery is not able to supply even the lower amount of local consumption. The Dangote refinery is therefore unable to meet at this time. We, the proprietors of private depots, have been filling the void and attending to Nigerians’ needs,” the DAPPMAN scribe said.
False Claims That Dangote Refinery Is Not Fulfilling Demands
A senior Dangote refinery executive, who asked to remain anonymous because of constraints on addressing the matter, informed reporters that the refinery still exports fuel abroad after meeting local market demands.
Given that the refinery ships millions of liters every day, he questioned how marketers came to the conclusion that it was unable to meet domestic demand.
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He argued that local consumption data in Nigeria have been skewed over time for different purposes, especially during the fuel subsidy period. He said that the public will eventually be informed of the true consumption figures.
In a number of publications, marketers claimed that our refinery was unable to satisfy regional demand. It’s not accurate.
According to the official, “we export and produce more than enough fuel for the local market.”
The only option to boost the economy, according to another refinery official, is for President Bola Tinubu to cease importing items that may be made domestically. However, he cautioned that importers will try to thwart the “Nigeria First Policy.”
The only option to boost the economy is to implement the President’s order to restrict imports, but importers would stop at nothing to make the initiative fail. “Why are we importing our local resources?” the source inquired.
On Friday, the DAPPMAN boss allegedly accused Dangote of attempting to monopolize the downstream industry, particularly when the refinery implemented price reductions.
In order to stay afloat, he said that many marketers have been silently taking losses due to price reductions that occurred after containers left the gantry.
Our intention was not to create a commotion. But in order to stay viable and lucrative, we’ve been taking the brunt of it,” Adewole said.
In response, the Dangote representative said that some importers only care about maximizing profits, ignoring the welfare of the average citizen.
A lot of these importers engaged in round-tripping, he said, while the Federal Government continued to subsidize petroleum imports.
“The average man doesn’t matter to these people.” Their pockets are what they’re after. In the days of fuel subsidies, many of them round-tripped,” the insider said.
He also asked about the present daily fuel usage rate, stating that the true amount needs to be revealed.
Request that they list the amount of consumption in our country. Let’s get the actual number from them. They do not wish for the general public to be aware of that. But eventually the general public will realize that. Secrets are known by those who keep them, but nothing endures forever. Every day we produce, and we export consistently. He asked, “So, what are they discussing?
The stock of Dangote Refinery: How Did They Learn About It?
DAPPMAN, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria were urged by a consultant for the facility, which processes 650,000 barrels a day, to disclose the quantity of fuel that the refinery currently has on hand before assessing its capacity to meet local demand.
Asking DAPPMAN and the other marketers how they learned of Dangote’s stock holdings is necessary. “How did they determine that the refinery is unable to meet local needs?” the consultant asked in a media interview.
