Oil marketers deny shunning Dangote refinery

In a response to reports credited to Dangote refinery, petroleum marketers said they have lifted 518,500 metric tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and Jet A1 from the Dangote refinery, representing 60% of national truck-out in five months.

During the week, Devakumar Edwin, the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, had said that local petroleum marketers were boycotting the refinery.

According to the depot owners, documents from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority showed that independent local marketers, including Asharami, MRS Oil and Gas, AA Rano, Rainoil, Prudent, NIPCO, Aym Shafa and Danmarna, among many others, have patronised Dangote refinery over the past months, a development the marketers said reinforced their commitment to ensuring seamless access to petroleum products across the nation.

They further said that the transactions that occurred between April and September showed marketers lifted 489,500 MT of diesel and 29,000 MT of Jet A1, distributed across various Nigerian ports, with 17 diesel shipments to Lagos, six to Warri, two to Port Harcourt, and on to Calabar.

All three Jet A1 shipments were reportedly discharged in Lagos.

The marketers, however, said the lack of clarity surrounding the availability of Dangote refinery’s Premium Motor Spirit (also known as petrol) remained a stumbling block to patronage within the local market.

According to Olufemi Adewole, the Executive Secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, the sector needs to operate transparently in a manner that allows all stakeholders to thrive and contribute significantly to the quest of ensuring availability, reliability and accessibility of petroleum products nationwide.