The Dangote refinery has announced that its plan to release Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, into the market this month has been delayed.
On Monday, Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, informed newsmen that petrol from the refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, will now be available in July.
“We had a bit of delay, but PMS will start coming out by 10 to 15 of July. But then we want to keep it in the tank to make sure that it settles. So by the third week of July, we’ll be able to come out to take it into the market,” Punch Online quoted Dangote as saying.
Last month, Dangote had disclosed plans to begin PMS sales in June, saying that his refinery would put an end to petrol importation into Nigeria.
“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of a litre,” he declared.
He further added, “We have enough gasoline to give to at least the entire West Africa, diesel to give to West Africa and Central Africa. We have enough aviation fuel to give to the entire continent and also export some to Brazil and Mexico. We have started producing jet fuel, we are producing diesel, and by next month, we’ll be producing gasoline. What that will do, it will be able to take most African crude.”
Dangote’s statements have provided hope to marketers and Nigerians, who anticipate that the refinery will reduce the price of petrol from around N700 to N500 or below.
We take God beg you dangonkote, drink your fuel and use your diesel for your trucks and industries, Nigerians are tired of waiting for your fuel