11plc, Total Energies, AA Rano, and other marketers have begun lifting Dangote Petrol through Nigerian National Company (NNPC) Trading Limited for N765.99 to retail outlets nationwide.

Findings showed some petroleum marketers who were able to complete their payment process on the NNPC trading payment portal commenced the lifting of petrol earlier this week under the existing agreement between marketers and the refinery.

Tunji Oyebanji, managing director, 11Plc confirmed on Thursday evening that some marketers have started lifting the products at N765.99 from Dangote Refinery through NNPC who remain the sole off-taker of product.

?We were among the first marketers to complete the payment on the NNPC portal. We have no direct arrangement with the refinery,? Oyebanji said.

It was learnt NNPC Retail, 11plc, Total Energies, A.A Rano are among the marketers that have picked up products from the refinery.

He added, ?We don?t know the contractual financial arrangement between NNPC and the refinery but what I can confirm is we are buying at N765.99 from NNPC to lift Dangote petrol?.

Efforts to get the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to confirm if its members have picked up products at the Dangote Refinery proved abortive at the time of writing this report.

Adedapo Segun, executive vice-president, downstream at NNPC said marketers cannot purchase petrol directly from the refinery because the product is still sold at a subsidised rate.

?That is the same thing happening with Dangote. I said earlier that Dangote is a company and it is going to sell at market price,? he told journalists.

According to Segun, ?The market value of PMS is still higher than what N766 or N765 or N799 that NNPC is selling.

?The situation has not changed there. So, NNPC?s off-taking is only because the others would not buy at the price Dangote will be willing to sell, which is reasonable.

?As soon as the price allows for it, you will see the marketers go to Dangote and buy.

?So, instead of saying NNPC is the only off-taker, let?s put it this way: NNPC is the only entity that is willing to offtake because NNPC has a role under law to be the energy provider of the resort,? he said.

How it started

On Sunday Evening, Femi Soneye, spokesperson of NNPC said that the refinery bought petrol from Dangote refinery at N898 per litre. He said market forces now determine domestic pump prices.

?For instance, now Brent is $70. Let?s say tomorrow, Brent goes to $80. You should note that the price will also rise because those are the market forces. But today, for this initial 16.8 million litre that was given to us, it was at the rate of N898,? Soneye said.

In its reaction, Chiejina, spokesperson of Dangote Refinery described the claim as ?misleading and mischievous,? aimed at undermining the refinery?s achievement in addressing Nigeria?s energy insufficiency.

However, the refinery failed to disclose the price it sold the product to NNPC Ltd.

In a counter-statement, the NNPC insisted it bought the product for N898 per litre and would be grateful for any discount from the Dangote refinery that could be passed 100 per cent to the general public.

NNPC Ltd said apart from landing costs from refineries, suppliers must pay statutory and regulatory charges for each litre of petrol.

Those charges include the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority fee, N8.99; inspection fee, N0.97; distribution cost (Lagos), N15.00; and profit margin, N26.48.

The state oil company said once freighting and other statutory costs are added, the product would cost more at the pump?N950.22 per litre in Lagos, N980.22 in Rivers, and N992.22 in Abuja. The selling price in Maiduguri was N1,019. (BusinessDay)

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