By Muhammad Mamman
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed claims by the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) seeking an annual subsidy of ₦1.5 trillion to align depot prices with the refinery’s gantry rates.
In a statement on Wednesday, the refinery alleged that marketers had requested a discount equivalent to ₦70 per litre in coastal freight, NIMASA and NPA charges, plus an additional ₦5 per litre for pumping into vessels. The demand, it said, was calculated on Nigeria’s daily consumption of 40 million litres of petrol and 15 million litres of diesel, amounting to ₦1.505 trillion annually.
“We have no intention of raising our gantry price to accommodate such demands, nor are we prepared to fund a subsidy of over ₦1.5 trillion – a practice that defrauded the Federal Government for years,” the refinery said. It added that marketers are free to lift products directly from its gantry under its logistics-free initiative.
The company also criticised what it described as “dumping” by marketers, noting that while the refinery exported 3.2 million metric tonnes of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel between June and September, marketers imported 3.6 million metric tonnes of the same products during the period.
Dangote Refinery reaffirmed its commitment to Nigeria’s economic growth, pledging continued cooperation with government agencies while resisting practices it considers harmful to national interests.
