Petroleum marketers have appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPLC to sell Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol to them at N899 per litre at the Port Harcourt Refinery.
The NNPLC recently disclosed that petrol price from its refineries have been reduced to N899 per litre.
The action also followed the reduction in the price of the product by the Dangote Refinery from N930 to N899.50, citing the need to bring succour to Nigerians during the yuletide.
Making the appeal on Sunday, the Publicity Secretary of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, PPROOAN, Joseph Obele, said the NNPCL has yet to reduce price in Port harcourt, saying marketers are still loading products at the old price.
He explained that marketers are still buying imported products from the refinery, and expect to start loading locally refined products soon.
Recall that the NNPCL disclosed recently that the Port and Warri Harcourt Refineries have bounced back to operations and petroleum products are being loaded from the facilities.
Obele however appealed to the oil company management to sell petrol to marketers in Port Harcourt at the same the product is being sold in Lagos.
According to him, “NNPC is still telling us to buy at a rate different from the rate they are selling to Lagos at the moment because of logistics. So, Port Harcourt retail outlet owners are not really comfortable with that. Hence, the Port Harcourt refinery will start servicing us this week.
“We are also requesting that the same rate NNPC is selling to our members at Lagos should be the rate they will be selling to us over here in Port Harcourt too. We are not really comfortable with that disparity.”
Asked whether or not marketers in Port Harcourt and environs have started buying directly from the NNPC refinery, he replied, “No, but it will commence this week. The trucks loading out are for the NNPC retail outlets only.”
He said the union is in talks with the NNPCL to stop price discrimination between Port Harcourt and Lagos marketers.
“We in Port Harcourt, we plead with the NNPC to sell to us at the same rate they are selling fuel to Lagos marketers. The difference is too much. It is N899 per litre in Lagos but N970 in Port Harcourt. It is far higher than that of Lagos.
“The way they explain it, it is like their own vessel will be bringing it and shipping it over to Port Harcourt depot for us to buy. So, we are now saying that since you will be selling directly to us from the refinery, you now have the stock available. Sell to us at the same rate you are selling to Lagos marketers.
“So, that’s where we are right now. Our request is that the NNPC should sell to us from the Port Harcourt refinery at the same rate they are selling the product to those in Lagos,” Obele said.
On December 21, 2024, the NNPCL announced reduction in its ex-depot prices of petrol to N899 from N1020 per litre for oil marketers.
In the document released by the NNPC commercial department, the company shows the latest reduction based on the regional pricing scheme as follows: Lagos, N899.; Warri, N970; Oghara, N970; Port Harcourt, N970 and Calabar, N970.
Analysts have pointed out that the NNPCL took the action following Dangote Refinery’s reduction of price of petrol to marketers.
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