Dangote Refinery has accused some stakeholders in the oil and gas sector of the economy of deliberating sponsoring the attack on the company in other to frustrate its plan to distribute fuel produced from the refinery across the country.
First of its kind in the country, Dangote Refinery had initiated the fuel distribution initiative by purchasing 4000 CNG-powered trucks which it said will be based on deliver-and pay later arrangement.
The initiative, the company said, appears not to have the support of some actors in the sector, particularly depot owners and importers who are now trying to frustrate it.
The company raised the allegation in a statement on Sunday questioning the negative reaction of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN.
Recall that Dangote had accused DAPPMAN of reporting the company to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allegedly trying to create a monopoly in the sector by selling petrol and diesel at a low price.
NUPENG on its part had last week embarked on a two-day warring strike, after the union accused Dangote of trying to prevent drivers working for the company from unionizing.
The issue was later resolve amicably by the federal government through the DSS a and the strike was canceled.
The company said the initiative was not meant to stop drivers who work for it from unionization, saying the unions action is self-serving and a plan by some vested interest in the oil and gas sector to kill the initiative.
No matter what the unions do, Dangote said, the company will still go ahead with its plan..
The statement reads: “In January 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) reported that one of DAPPMAN’s members had supplied petrol containing over 15% methanol, well above acceptable limits (Methanol which is not a standard industry practice or procedure for refinery, but blenders use it to prompt up the octane rating to an acceptable level that is well above anti-knocking ratio).
“The result was widespread engine damage for thousands of end users. Yet, no transparent government inquiry or independent investigation was ever conducted to determine the source, intent, or full impact of the adulterated fuel.”
The refinery also described as incorrect, the claim that the price of petrol in Togo is lower than in Nigeria. It revealed that the average pump price in Lomé stands at approximately 680 CFA francs per litre, equivalent to N1, 826.
“This figure reflects the very scenario that DAPPMAN and its affiliates appear to advocate for in Nigeria. The Dangote Refinery has positioned Nigeria as a primary source of affordable petrol feedstock for West Africa, despite the refinery importing over 60% of the crude oil it processes. Remarkably, the refinery is able to offer petrol at prices below the international benchmark within the sub-Saharan region.”
Meanwhile, analysts in the sector insist that the clash between Dangote and importers and depot owners on the issue of fuel pricing, and their fears that Dangote is trying to take them out of business, after investing so much for years before the entrance of the former into the business, will fizzle out with time as they begin to understand each other, and as price starts to stabilize in the sector.
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