The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has denied being the sole distributor of Dangote Refinery petroleum products.
NNPCL stated this in a statement by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Saturday.
The company said that the Dangote Refinery and other domestic refineries are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis.
NNPCL said the pricing of petroleum products is determined by market forces, adding that recent changes in petrol prices have no impact on the Dangote Refinery Limited, DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market.
The statement stated: “The pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd (DRL), is determined by global market forces.
“The recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market. In fact, if current prices are perceived as high, it presents an ideal opportunity for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.
“Furthermore, we emphasize that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL. The NNPC Ltd will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria.
“The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products. NNPC Ltd has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole offtaker does not arise.
“The NNPC Ltd cannot undermine a business in which it holds a billion-dollar stake. As an advocacy group for fair and just treatment, MURIC should have verified the facts before making statements that are entirely flawed and has the potential to incite ordinary Nigerians against the NNPC Ltd.”
