The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has countered claims by the Dangote Refinery that it alone was capable of supplying petroleum products sufficient to keep the country wet.
A spokesman for the Refinery, Anthony Chiejina, said Tuesday that the country would not see a petrol shortage despite an ongoing strike by members of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
“There is no fuel shortage, everything is going on,” a refinery spokesman, Chiejina, told AFP.
The Refinery’s claim followed fears of product scarcity that swept across the country as a result of the strike actions.
However, the Executive Secretary of DAPPMAN, Femi Adewole, while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, claimed that its members and other depot owners still supply the country with the largest quantity of petroleum products.
“We, the depot owners, have issues with the Dangote Refinery. For instance, we are still not getting coastal allocations from the Refinery.
“We still supply about 68 per cent of the products to the country. We import these cargoes, not because we want to, but because we are not getting the attention we want from Dangote Refinery.
“Right now, you may say Dangote has enough stock to go round, but if Dangote doesn’t sell to depot owners, we have to import because we have to remain in business.
“For instance, take the figures for May, about 1.7 billion litres of PMS were supplied to the country, but Dangote Refinery supplied about 24 per cent.
“In June, about 1.4 billion litres were supplied, and Dangote Refinery did about 20 per cent. The volume that is being supplied is done by DAPPMAN members and other depots,” he said.
Adewole, however, said depot owners were willing to purchase products from the Refinery if it would strike a good deal with them.
“What we are saying is that let’s have a framework where DAPPMAN members can approach Dangote, and he will feel free to sell to us.
“A situation where Dangote sells to international traders at ₦65 per litre lower than what he sells to us is not fair. Dangote sells to us at ₦45 higher than what he sells at his gantry, so how do we stay in business?
“We want to buy from Dangote. Dangote is the pride of the nation. We would rather buy from his refinery than source from outside, but if he is not giving us the product, we definitely have to stay in business, we have to sell the product and sell at the best price possible.”
On what caused the NUPENG crisis with the Refinery, the DAPPMAN ES said it was the former’s refusal to allow its tanker drivers to become members of labour unions.
“We got here because the management of Dangote Refinery refused to allow union activities within its operations
“ILO and the Nigerian constitution allow the Nigerian workers to unionise freely without interference, and it’s not compulsory either.
“The managements of the established unions approached the management of Dangote Refinery to bring in the workers into the union (NUPENG and PTD), but unfortunately, the management of the Refinery at that time refused.
“The workers made overtures to the management of the Refinery several times, but for the fact that he did give get positive feedback, they had to take the step that they took.
“But good that the Refinery has approved their request, but the issues are not fully resolved as it concerns the downstream sector,” he said.
NUPENG launched its strike on Monday, alleging that Dangote’s new drivers were being hired on the condition that they do not join the union — allegations earlier disputed by Dangote.