There is uncertainty over the commencement of the lifting of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petroleum from Dangote Refinery by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).
It was learnt that the independent marketers have opened discussion with the management of Dangote following the intervention of the Department of State Service (DSS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
IPMAN had last week tackled the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), saying the price it was getting fuel from the national oil company was higher than the N898 per litre from Dangote.
According to the National President, Abubakar Maigandi, the NNPCL has been holding about N15bn belonging to independent marketers for the past three months.
But an IPMAN source who spoke with a news platform yesterday said the NNPCL had agreed to allow IPMAN to buy directly from Dangote.
This followed the decision of the national oil company to quit its middle-man role in the distribution of fuel from the 650,000-capacity refinery.
The Federal Government had stated over the weekend that oil marketers are now free to negotiate the purchase of petrol directly from the Dangote refinery without recourse to the NNPCL.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun who disclosed this said, “Moving forward, petroleum product marketers are now able to purchase PMS directly from local refineries without the intermediary role of NNPC. Marketers are encouraged to initiate direct purchases from refineries on mutually negotiated commercial terms, which will promote competition and improve market efficiency.”
