November 01, (THEWILL) – The Dangote Petroleum Refinery says it has not received any payments from the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), to purchase refined petroleum products.
The clarification follows earlier claim by IPMAN that its members are unable to load petrol from the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, despite having paid N40 billion to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, IPMAN President, Abubakar Garima, faulted claims by Aliko Dangote that marketers were avoiding his refinery in favour of imported petrol.
“We have over N40 billion in outstanding debt with the NNPCL. I was surprised when Dangote said he has over 500 million litres of PMS. We are ready to buy the product from Dangote if he is ready to sell it to us directly. If he (Dangote) can sell the product directly to us, we can buy because we pay upfront before loading. Currently, we have N40 billion with the NNPCL, yet we can’t access the product.
“Recently, some marketers were sent to load at the Dangote Refinery but were unable to load even after waiting four days with their trucks”, Garima claimed.
However, Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Group, noted in a statement on Thursday, that “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. Consequently, we cannot be held responsible for any payments made to other entities.”
“The payment in mention has been made through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and not us. In the same vein, NNPCL has neither approved, nor authorised us to release our Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to IPMAN.
“We would like to emphasise that we can meet the nation’s demand for all petroleum products, including petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel. At present, we can load 2,900 trucks per day and we have also been evacuating petroleum products by sea. We advise IPMAN to register with us and make direct payment as we have more than enough petroleum products to satisfy the needs of their members.
“Furthermore, we believe 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. Conducting business through public speculation is counterproductive and unpatriotic.
“In the interest of our country, we encourage all stakeholders to collaborate and heed the advice of President Tinubu, while promoting a unified approach, rather than engaging in media conflicts and needless propaganda.”
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