Dangote Refinery on Thursday said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has not commenced lifting of refined petrol from the refinery.
The company’s Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, disclosed in a statement on Thursday.
The company made this known in reaction to a report that the NNPC lifted Dangote Petrol and sold it at N897 per litre.
On Monday, Devakumar Edwin, vice president at Dangote Industries Limited, said the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery has begun the processing of petrol.
Mr Edwin explained that the NNPC Ltd, Nigeria’s sole importer, would buy its product exclusively.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said the petrol refined from the refinery would hit filling stations across the country within 48 hours, depending on the NNPC Ltd.
On Tuesday, NNPC Ltd adjusted the pump price of petrol to N897 from N617 as motorists and commuters grumbled amid the uncertainty.
In its statement on Thursday, the Dangote Refinery said the NNPC is yet to lift its petrol.
“Our attention has been drawn to a headline “NNPC lifts Dangote Petrol, sells at N897 per litre” published in the Business Day Newspapers of Wednesday, 4 September 2024.
“We would like to state that NNPC has not commenced lifting of refined Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, from our Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
“Therefore, the issue of fixing the price of petrol lifted from our refinery does not arise, as we are yet to finalise our contract with NNPC,” Mr Chiejina said.
He explained that the petrol market is strictly regulated, which is known to all oil marketers and stakeholders in the sector.
“Hence we can not determine, fix, or influence the product price, which falls under the purview of relevant government authorities.
“We urge the public to disregard the headline as it is misleading and does not represent the true position in this matter. We are guaranteeing Nigerians of exceptionally high quality petroleum products that will be readily available all over the country,” he said.
The 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery commenced diesel and aviation fuel production in January.
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