Dangote Petrol: IPMAN, Women Engineers Kick Against NNPC’s Sole Off-taker Status
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has kicked against the designation of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd) as the sole off-taker of petrol from the Dangote Refinery.
This was as President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Mrs Atinuke Owolabi said it is difficult to understand why NNPCL wants Dangote to supply them directly.
The Marketers warned that such a move would create a monopoly and lead to profiteering in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.
NNPC has historically been the sole importer of petrol into the country, while the marketers and other stakeholders have to struggle to secure the necessary foreign exchange to enable them compete with the Corporation.
Chief Chinedu Ukadike, Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, who stated the position of the association, said that while the marketers were not opposed to the government’s decision to increase the pump price of petrol, they however, objected strongly to the NNPC being the sole off-taker of the petrol from Dangote refinery.
Ukadike stressed the importance of making the product available to all marketers operating in the downstream sector, saying that the most important aspect of the entire system is availability.
According to Ukadike; “We are not against the increase in fuel prices as marketers, but the fuel should be made available for us to buy. The arrangement between Dangote and NNPC, which makes NNPC the sole off-taker, should be reconsidered.
“As major stakeholders and independent marketers, we believe Dangote should be allowed to sell directly to us. The distribution should be open so that other stakeholders can purchase the product, just like the NNPC.
“The NNPC is also a competitor in the downstream sector. It is wrong to single out one competitor among others and give it exclusive access to petrol while others remain dependent on a single source.
“This will lead to monopoly, profiteering, and stagnation in the distribution process,” he said.
IPMAN therefore called on the Federal Government to intervene, adding that it was crucial that what is good for one is good for all.
Ukadike said; “IPMAN should be given the opportunity to obtain products directly because we can quickly distribute them, as we have a wide reach across the country and are reliable”.
Also speaking on the issue, Mrs Atinuke Owolabi, President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, said there is the need to confirm the price of the petrol from Dangote since the federal government said it did not instruct NNPC Ltd to increase fuel prices.
Owolabi said it is important for Dangote to distribute to everyone who wants to buy fuel, stressing that it is dangerous for the NNPCL to be the sole distributor of Dangote fuel.
“We do not want a monopoly again. Let Dangote distribute to all marketers so that we all have access to the fuel, which belongs to the people. It seems there are some cabals within NNPCL, and we need to be very careful,” she stressed.
