Some fuel importers in the country have alleged that the Dangote refinery sells a litre of petrol to international traders at N65 cheaper than the amount it gives the product to marketers in Nigeria.
The Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association of Nigeria, Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria confirmed this in separate exclusive interviews with Sunday PUNCH.
While kicking against the planned slashing of prices on Monday, DAPPMAN in particular said it was a ploy to stifle competition.
The Dangote refinery recently announced that it would drop petrol prices from N865 per litre to N841 in Lagos and the South West, and N851 in Abuja, Edo, and Kwara.
But the Dangote refinery downplayed the allegations, suggesting DAPPMAN might be the force behind the recent attack against it by the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers.
NUPENG had accused the refinery of anti-union practices, including refusing to allow drivers to join the group. The union threatened to embark on industrial action over the matter.
Adewole told Sunday PUNCH that Alhaji Aliko Dangote once said he would crash prices whenever importers brought in fuel cargoes into Nigeria.
“So, anytime our cargoes are coming, we expect him to reduce the price. He may give a different reason for the reduction,” he said.
“Dangote is selling to international traders at N65 lower than what he offers in Nigeria, or how is it possible for some of our members to buy from someone who bought from Dangote?
“Dangote sells to international traders at N65 cheaper than what he is selling to us. In some instances, we were able to buy from those people and still bring it to Nigeria. They will take the product to Lomé, claiming that they are buying large quantities.
“I have collated the volume of the products needed by DAPPMAN and sent to Dangote twice, yet he is not giving us products. What else does he want us to do? Even if he would give it to us, it would be with conditions that would not be profitable. Is that business?” he said.
Asked if it was cheaper to import petrol than to buy from the Dangote refinery, Adewole said, “It’s not all the time that it is cheaper. But there are instances in which it was cheaper to buy from international markets, and not only did we buy from international markets, we bought from international traders that Dangote sold to.”
When our correspondent sought to know what DAPPMAN’s requests were, he emphasised the need for discounts.
“Dangote has to give us a discount for the freight cost and other costs that we incur between his jetty and our jetty so that we can sell at the same price, and then we’ll be competitive. People will continue to import if the price is cheaper elsewhere,” he added.
The National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said DAPPMAN was right to say Dangote’s fuel was cheaper in Lome than in Nigeria.
