Dangote, NNPC at war over 898 Naira per litre claim

A war of words has ensued between the Dangote Refinery and the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission (NNPC) over the latter’s claim that it purchased the maiden batch of petrol from the facility at the rate of 898 Naira per litre.

Dangote Refinery has, however, issued a strong rebuttal to the statement which was attributed to NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.

Soneye had confirmed that lifting of petrol from the 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery commenced on Sunday.

He added that no fewer than 300 trucks from the national oil firm arrived at the refinery, located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, to lift the first batch of the product.

He denied claims that the national oil company purchased petrol at 760 Naira per litre, emphatically mentioned 898 Naira per litre.

“We successfully loaded PMS at the Dangote refinery today.

“The claim that we purchased it at N760 per litre is incorrect.

“For this initial loading, the price from the refinery was 898 Naira per litre.”

But in a statement issued on Sunday night by the Dangote Group’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, Dangote Refinery frowned at the claim, describing it as “misleading and mischievous,” aimed at undermining the milestone achievement in addressing Nigeria’s energy insufficiency and insecurity.

Chiejina urged Nigerians to disregard the statement and await a formal announcement on pricing from the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The committee’s announcement is expected to commence on October 1, 2024.

Chiejina noted that the current stock of crude was procured in dollars, and the products were sold to NNPCL in dollars, resulting in significant savings.

The refinery assured Nigerians of the availability of quality petroleum products, aiming to end endemic fuel scarcity in the country.

The refinery’s efforts will ensure petrol availability in every local government area, regardless of remoteness, Chiejina also added.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook