Dangote Refinery has denied claims made by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, that it sold petrol at N898 per litre, describing the assertion as “misleading and mischievous.”
In a statement issued by Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Group, the refinery clarified its position and urged Nigerians to disregard the claim.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, that we sell our PMS at N898 per litre to the NNPCL.
This statement is both misleading and mischievous, deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement recorded today, September 15, 2024, towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedeviled the economy in the past 50 years,” Dangote said in the statement.
Earlier, NNPC Limited’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Olufemi Soneye, was quoted as saying that the product was bought at N898 per litre, contradicting earlier reports that it was sold to NNPC at N766 per litre.
Also, according to Soneye, Dangote Refinery has called for patience, indicating that the official price would be announced by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, which was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This pricing is set to commence on October 1, 2024.
“We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR,” the statement added.
The refinery also emphasized that the current stock of crude was procured in dollars, and that it sold products to NNPC in dollars, resulting in savings compared to the cost of imported fuel.
“It should also be noted that we sold the products to NNPCL in dollars with a lot of savings against what they are currently importing,” Dangote explained.
Dangote Refinery assured Nigerians that its actions would ensure petrol availability across all local government areas in the country, regardless of their remoteness.
“We assure Nigerians of availability of quality petroleum product and putting an end to the endemic fuel scarcity in the country,” the statement concluded.
